Graphic Novel Review
Tan, S. (2009). Tales from outer suburbia. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.
Magical. Extraordinary. Eerie. Perplexing. Thought provoking. All of these words can be used to describe Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. Published in 2008, Tan's fifteen short stories take the reader on a fantastical ride. The illustrations move the stories along, but the could also be used as a stand alone to prompt children to write their own stories. This is a graphic novel, as the pictures are an integral part of the story, but it is not the format that most think of when they think graphic novel. The pictures are not in panels and the format of the pictures differs depending on the story. The story The Amnesia Machine looks like an article written in the newspaper, while Distant Rain combines regular illustrations with scraps of paper to tell the story of what happens to all the poems that people write. The book is short, only about 95 pages, but this invites the reader to go back and reread stories and see things they may have overlooked before. Stories don't have neat endings, they leave the reader wanting more, asking questions, looking back.
I liked Tales From Outer Suburbia even though the short stories are not your typical stories. Some of the stories are descriptions of an event that happened. They don't really have a plot with typical endings. The one page story Wake, describes a group of dogs seeking revenge on a man that beat his dog to death the day before. His house mysteriously catches on fire and he is able to rescue all of his belongings. When he brings them outside hundreds of dogs sit on them to watch the fire. When it is over they all urinate on his furniture and leave to go home to
I liked Tales From Outer Suburbia even though the short stories are not your typical stories. Some of the stories are descriptions of an event that happened. They don't really have a plot with typical endings. The one page story Wake, describes a group of dogs seeking revenge on a man that beat his dog to death the day before. His house mysteriously catches on fire and he is able to rescue all of his belongings. When he brings them outside hundreds of dogs sit on them to watch the fire. When it is over they all urinate on his furniture and leave to go home to
"the smell of warm humans, the ones who had given them peculiar names."
That's the end of the story. I was left with many questions about the rest of the story, but I still appreciated the beauty of this mini story. All of the stories left me wanting more, but they also allowed my imagination to soar and fill in the blanks as I saw fit. .
In No Other Country the characters use that phrase to describe the horrible conditions of living in their country.
"No other country is worse than this one," their mother announced loudly and often, and nobody felt the need to challenge her. (p.57)
That is until they find a magical inner courtyard in their house they never knew existed. They could only get to the courtyard through their attic and then use a ladder to climb down into it. The courtyard becomes a haven for the family, its weather was always the opposite of what the real weather was, offering them a respite from their day. They did not speak of the courtyard to others, but one day the mother was having a conversation with the neighbor when the neighbor remarked that they were going to have a barbecue in their own inner courtyard. Using the very same phrase of no other country, the phrase now had a positive connotation:
"Yes, yes, every house has the inner courtyard, if you can find it. Very strange, you know, because nowhere else has this thing. No other country." (p.61)
Just as I am able to take another look at the stories and find new things to appreciate, the character was able to appreciate her country like she didn't before.
I would recommend this book for children 11 and up that love fantasy. I would also recommend this book to teachers that would love a thought provoking story starter.
I would recommend this book for children 11 and up that love fantasy. I would also recommend this book to teachers that would love a thought provoking story starter.
To learn more about Shaun Tan and his many interests check out his website:
You can buy books by Shaun Tan here:
To hear Shaun in his own words, watch these YouTube videos:
