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A review by thereadingmum
Work-Life Balance: Malevolent Managers and Folkloric Freelancers by Wayne Rée, Benjamin Chee
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Ever since I discovered Brian Selznik's amazing creation, The Inventions of Hugo Cabret, I've loved the idea of a graphic-prose novel. In fact, all picture books use images and words in a symbiotic way to bring a story to life and it is a relationship that works. Most of the time.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Wayne Ree and Benjamin Chee's work. I thought the storyline was ingenuous and loved the inclusion of so many Asian folkloric characters. Chee's artwork is excellent and fits the theme really well.
However, I didn't understand why the graphic portion was an interpretation of the prose portions. I was expecting it to continue and complement the prose portions instead of repeating the story in a different way. For such a small book, this repetition then feels like I'm being cheated of part of the story. For example, couldn't the graphic portion show the kinds of work Zee's emloyees did for them and/or how they then made the decision to go to the Company? It would be lovely if this were serialised and the story fleshed out more.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Wayne Ree and Benjamin Chee's work. I thought the storyline was ingenuous and loved the inclusion of so many Asian folkloric characters. Chee's artwork is excellent and fits the theme really well.
However, I didn't understand why the graphic portion was an interpretation of the prose portions. I was expecting it to continue and complement the prose portions instead of repeating the story in a different way. For such a small book, this repetition then feels like I'm being cheated of part of the story. For example, couldn't the graphic portion show the kinds of work Zee's emloyees did for them and/or how they then made the decision to go to the Company? It would be lovely if this were serialised and the story fleshed out more.