The Adventure of No. 1138

A Good Story

This is an absurd world where numbers reign supreme, and people live lives defined by them. The protagonist, a pig in a suit and tie, is a meticulous accountant, numbered 1138. Within society's vast, orderly system, he seems merely a number to be evaluated and replaced at any moment. Yet, even ordinary days can be filled with unexpected events like whirlwind storms... This book, using ingenious allegory to satirize reality, explores human alienation, the meaning of work, and self-worth.
This is a picture book written and illustrated by author Zach Rock. The text is sparse, interspersed with metaphors, puns, and dry humor. The images are fantastical, surreal, and full of enigmatic details: scissors walking on chains, a shadowy wolf, a scale made of spoons, buildings and signs with numbers or symbols, and, throughout most of the book, graph paper that looks like a ledger... Their meaning is left to the reader to interpret.
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【Editor's Recommendation】
Surrealistic paintings capture the plight of reality. The author dresses a pig in a suit, creating an image of an outsider who feels out of place in the human world. Through fantasy, we connect to reality and re-examine the human world.
If you only read the text, you'll miss countless Easter eggs in the illustrations. For example, George Orwell (dystopian novelist) works as an accountant in this book. Do you know who he is? His colleagues Philip K. Dick and William Gibson (two of the "cyberpunk" pioneers) seem to have a conflict when Gibson is caught slacking off on Facebook during work hours. Not good!
★This is also a love letter to bookstores, praising all the adventures in bookstores.
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【Media Comments】
This book is quirky and entertaining, but readers may find it outside the realm of picture book. Recommended for readers who are not surprised by the strange.
—Kirkus Reviews
Zach Rock explores difficult issues—existential crises, self-identity, and paralyzing fear—and stands out for the way he does so.
——Forbes (India Edition)

2023-09-15

新世纪出版社

心喜阅童书

40

9787558339417