The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
- The Nao Of Brown - Unique storyline with nice visuals
- Magic, murder and science
- Growing up without a father
| The Nao Of Brown - Unique storyline with nice visuals Posted: 04 Jan 2013 12:55 AM PST The story of a young woman suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder is told in a visually arresting manner. THE Nao Of Brown by Glyn Dillon is one of the most gorgeous graphic novels I've seen. The lush watercoloured panels, elegant red-edged pages, delicately-realised facial expressions and deliberate merging of different illustrative techniques makes turning each page an act of discovery; these aren't merely pictures to accompany a story, but rather, works of art in and of themselves. The real genius of The Nao Of Brown, though, is that the illustrations do tell a story, vividly, and sometimes even without any words. After all, a graphic novel's main difference from a book is its reliance on the visual, and this is one great example. Dillon's rich visuals capture so many nuances of expression and body language that a single line of speech is often all that's needed to express an entire internal monologue. His use of watercolours – translucent and subtle for exterior locations, brilliant and dramatic for intimate settings – is an inspired choice, the colours brightening or dimming according to the mood of the scene. It is a technique that is particularly suited to the story of Nao Brown, a half-Japanese, half-English girl who spends as much time grappling with the events in her mind as she does with the ups and downs of the everyday. Artistic, introspective and utterly charming to almost everyone who meets her, Nao is also plagued by a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that manifests as sudden murderous fantasies. In stark contrast to the abstract nature of her condition, almost everything in Nao's life is primarily visual. She works in an art toy shop, is obsessed with a fictional anime series called ichi, does Japanese calligraphy, and practises Buddhist meditation and visualisation techniques (complete with statues and thangka paintings). Woven within Nao's tale as a story within a story are folkloric vignettes about Pictor, a boy who is half human and half chestnut, from the ichi series. These panels are deliberately different from the main story, employing a more rigid and digital illustration style. Playing with opposites even further, Nao soon finds herself attracted to Gregory, a middle-aged, balding, washing machine repairman, who is given to quoting poetry and philosophy. While her initial attraction to him is because of his physical resemblance to ichi character The Nothing, she soon finds in Gregory another complex person with his own baggage. Meanwhile, Nao's friend and boss Steve is obviously in love with her, a fact that she doesn't realise because of her tendency to remain so resolutely self-focused. What makes Dillon's depiction of Nao's condition so absorbing is that it is never explicitly explained or described. Rather, her breakdowns, horrible imaginings and compulsive rituals are brought across by the detailed drawings that capture every expression and movement on Nao's face. Dillon's wife apparently suffered from OCD during her younger years, and it is obvious that this is a personal subject to him – he seems more interested in exploring the actual experiences and emotions associated with the condition. Red is liberally used to represent both Nao's dynamism and volatility, and the way Dillon uses this single colour to evoke multiple meanings is impressive. One particular section is a brilliant visual metaphor for her struggles; in it, Nao suffers an "episode", the panel is overwhelmed by red, and then she is left literally colourless. Dillon further livens up the novel by incorporating several different illustration styles in very specific ways to tell a particular story, for instance mimicking traditional Japanese woodblock prints. One of my favourites, however, is his renditions of several thangkas, or Buddhist paintings – bursting with colour and details, they would be equally at home at a modern art exhibition. The story of The Nao Of Brown is difficult to pin down because it is so entwined with its visuals. Nevertheless, it is one that instantly captures you, thanks to an extremely unique and, despite her flaws, very lovable protagonist. The other characters are equally interesting, particularly Steve. His frustrated facial expressions are captured perfectly by Dillon, and you root for this classic underdog in the love triangle all the way. Which is why the end of the novel was rather frustrating. After so much time is taken with the densely-detailed story, the denouement of Nao's tale seems incredibly rushed and almost anti-climactic. The author even resorts to that cliched technique of skipping ahead a few years to avoid dealing with all the conflicts he's set up, which seems a tad lazy. Nevertheless, The Nao Of Brown is certainly worth owning, not just for graphic novel enthusiasts, but for those who enjoy a unique storyline told in a beautiful, unusual way. For this month only, get a 25% discount off The Nao Of Brown (with a purchase of another item) at Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC. |
| Posted: 04 Jan 2013 12:52 AM PST Falling Kingdoms Author: Morgan Rhodes Publisher: Razorbill, 400 pages THEY gave up magic in exchange for peace, or so they thought. But now, three kingdoms are grappling for power and brutalising their citizens in the process. Could the old, forgotten magic be the answer? Four young people are caught up in the threatening chaos: a princess, a rebel, a girl discovering her supernatural gifts, and a warrior taught only to conquer, never to love. They each begin journeys, both literal and metaphorical, as they discover their strengths and weakness even while grappling with the dire situation their countries face. Bittersweet Author: Sarah Ockler Publisher: Simon Pulse, 400 pages SHE'S a master baker at only 17, so what is Hudson doing keeping her head down and baking cupcakes for her mother's struggling diner? Well, there was her parents' divorce for which – like most teens – she feels responsible, and then there's the friendship issue that she's struggling with after a huge betrayal. It's enough to make any girl stick her head in the sand and take cover. But what happens if opportunity comes a-knocking again? Will Hudson have the courage to lift her head and grab life with both hands? When We Wake Author: Karen Healey Publisher: Little Brown Us, 304 pages IT is the year 2027 and teenagers are still pretty much teenagers: 16-year-old Tegan Oglietti is balancing friends and a new boyfriend, playing her guitar, and protesting the world's ills. And then she dies. And wakes up 100 years in the future. Tegan, you see, is the first person to ever be revived from being cryonically frozen, which makes her an instant celebrity. But this future she's seeing is an ugly one and when deadly secrets come to life, she has to decide if she wants to keep her head down and simply survive or rise up and fight for a better world. The Archived Author: Victoria Schwab Publisher: Hyperion Books, 336 pages IN a world where the dead are called Histories and their stories can be read like books by people called Librarians, Mackenzie Bishop takes over from her father as a Keeper of the Archive. Not only is her job a constant reminder of the loss of her father, it's also very dangerous as she has to keep the often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. To make things worse, someone is changing the Histories that should never be touched, taking out important chapters. Mac has to piece together what is left before the Archive itself crumbles and falls. Etiquette And Espionage Author: Gail Carriger Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 320 pages GAIL Carriger, author of Victorian comedy of manners series, The Parasol Protectorate, begins a new series with Etiquette And Espionage set in the same steampunk era she's famous for. Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality isn't your typical finishing school, 14-year-old Sophronia finds. After being sent there by her mother because of her tendency to favour unladylike pastimes, Sophronia gleefully welcomes the discovery that this school not only teaches a girl how to curtsy properly but also how to throw a knife while doing it! Shadows Author: Paula Weston Publisher: Indigo Books, 388 pages HOW do you recover from losing a twin? It has been a year since Gaby Winters lost twin brother Jude in a car crash and though she's physically healed, her emotions are still raw. It doesn't help that the 20something keeps having unsettling nightmares about a strange guy and of battling demons, either. Then the stranger from her dreams appears in town. Rafa has stories to tell Gaby, about her brother, about how her life is not what she thinks it is, about the Rephaim .... – Compiled by Natashya Khoo and Wu Yee Pheng |
| Posted: 04 Jan 2013 12:44 AM PST This young adult fiction novel does a good job of handling a serious subject with humour and understanding. Dads, Geeks And Blue-Haired Freaks YOU might be forgiven for thinking that Dads, Geeks And Blue-Haired Freaks is a book by a stand-up comedian telling the tale of his or her funny growing-up years. At times, it certainly felt like one when I was reading this book. In actuality, though, this is a light-hearted, humorous way of dealing with a rather serious topic: growing up without a father. Mind you, the father in question is not actually dead, though we don't know that at the beginning of the story. The book opens with a family dinner to celebrate Sadie's 15th birthday. The guest of honour is keeping to tradition and opening her birthday cards at the dinner table when she finds one sent by her father. The father whom she has never met, whose identity she doesn't even know, as he was pretty much an anonymous sperm donor. Could it be a cruel trick played by former best friend Shonna, with whom Sadie is feuding at the moment? Or could it really, truly be from the other half of her DNA contribution? Whoever sent the card, it gets Sadie thinking about her father and sends her on a quest to find this nameless figure. Does she succeed? Somewhat, but that's all you're going to get from me. I have to be honest: this book started out a little slow for me. The writing seemed rather young, though I feel a bit embarrassed about saying that since most books that I read are supposedly aimed at a much younger audience. Nonetheless, Dads, Geeks And Blue-Haired Freaks seems to be more "young" and less "adult". However, after about 50 pages in, it started to grow on me a little. After all, what's not to love about a teenager who has a dry sense of humour (as opposed to the usual broody ones that populate this genre) and whose hobby is trying out various hairstyles (there are several hairstyles to try out in the book if you're into that) and dreams of owning her own salon someday? I really loved the concept of Sadie as a protagonist with a personality, still managing to keep her wits about her while on a mission. At some points, I could almost visualise her standing beside me, hand on hip, making sarcastic comments. Yes, more often than not no one likes a sarcastic teenager, but in Sadie's case, I beg to differ. Another thing that I really enjoyed was that unlike so many other YA books that conveniently have a complete lack of parental or familial guidance for the teenaged main character, in this one, the protagonist has strong family support. While the book does bring up the bucket-load of issues Sadie seems to have with her mother, the constant presence of her protective uncle, almost-but-not-quite-deaf great-aunt, a cousin who manages to be more reliable than annoying, and even a friend who could be more, Sadie seems to have more family and loved ones around her than most YA fic protagonists. Unfortunately, the book did have its negative points, a main one being that I feel that the author left a few strings untied, ones that in my opinion are crucial to the story, though I'm not sure whether that's because the author has a sequel in mind to tie up the loose ends. These days, when families are a little more complicated than the standard issue mum, dad and siblings, Dads, Geeks And Blue-Haired Freaks presents a lovely way to explain growing up within an atypical family. More importantly, while it starts out as a search for a father, what it ultimately comes down to is a story about finding oneself and being grateful for what one already has. All that and a bunch of fancy hairstyles to try out! |
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