Fionnáin reviewed Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan
Review of 'Tales from the Inner City' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
Shaun Tan's imagination is superb. This is a book of short stories, essentially. Each chapter is a story of a different animal that sits in the most disjointed space of storytelling I have come across. The chapters each come with an image of a painting that visualises the ideas in the strange universe of Tan. The paintings are immaculate, both as narrative and craft, using line, colour and structure brilliantly to complement the writing.
It's near impossible to describe how this all plays out as an experience, other than it is a treat both in reading and visual. Fish that fly, bears with lawyers, pigeons doing economics, a yak in the snow, and dogs that wait...the stories are all different and each one opens a new world in just a few short pages. The writing and art are impeccable, and the analysis of the modern human condition through the eyes …
Shaun Tan's imagination is superb. This is a book of short stories, essentially. Each chapter is a story of a different animal that sits in the most disjointed space of storytelling I have come across. The chapters each come with an image of a painting that visualises the ideas in the strange universe of Tan. The paintings are immaculate, both as narrative and craft, using line, colour and structure brilliantly to complement the writing.
It's near impossible to describe how this all plays out as an experience, other than it is a treat both in reading and visual. Fish that fly, bears with lawyers, pigeons doing economics, a yak in the snow, and dogs that wait...the stories are all different and each one opens a new world in just a few short pages. The writing and art are impeccable, and the analysis of the modern human condition through the eyes of uncanny animals is beautifully executed.