Elsewhere, pictures that do relate to words only meet each other partway. Occasionally, sentences will end with a picture. The many questions left unanswered make it an exciting find for those who like the task of settling on a comprehensive interpretation of such works.īut the story is only one half of this book, Heavily illustrated, and with a library card wallet embedded in the front cover, the book is designed so words and imagery overlap or misdirect more than coincide. But it is saturated with symbols, themes and techniques – from animals and lunar influences, to light and darkness, strange or absent characters, numerology, questions of narration reliability, as well as fear, grief, loss and loneliness.

The story is short and simply told and, on the surface, perhaps not terribly interesting. To escape, he will need the help of his new friends and will have to confront his worst fears. He is obedient to a fault, has difficulty saying ‘no’ and fears upsetting others. There the boy’s only companions are a fearful sheep-man and helpful but mysterious girl who travels between worlds. There he finds old man eager to provide him with the resources he needs but seemingly intent on imprisoning him beyond a labyrinth underneath the library.

It is the story of a meek boy who ventures into a library in search of an answer to a trivial question. And a piece of art, albeit a mass-produced one, more than a book.īetween the covers there is a short story by one of the world’s most popular and beguiling authors. The Strange Library is a painting, perhaps a mosaic, more than it is a novel.

The strange library review