Outsider stories, part 2

Tales from Outer Suburbia is the latest book by writer and illustrator Shaun Tan. Though his books are published by Scholastic and marketed to a young readers, they really seemed more pitched at teenage loners who would dare to read what looks like a "picture book" for kids and adults who will delve into the childrens book section for something other than Harry Potter. That would seem to be a commercially limiting range, but I still think he's on to something.

I read his previous book, The Arrival, which was a wordless graphic novel about the disorientation an immigrant feels living in a new land, though in this strange book with a fantasy overlay, the new arrival faces not just new customs and foods, but odd little creatures and strangely shaped buildings. This book has a more traditional format, illustrated short stories, but an equally odd slant to content and tone.

The book feels like a Ray Bradbury collection on the order of The Martian Chronicles. Not only do most of the stories have a surreal fantasy element, they are also loosely tied together by a common setting, an unnamed Australian suburb, that will nevertheless seem very familiar to suburban American kids. Each story has a Twilight Zone feel to it, rather like The Arrival. In fact, one story is like The Arrival in miniature, with an otherworldly exchange student-creature visiting a family. In another, suburban families, stuck with huge missiles put in their yards by the government, decorate them in outrageous colors and designs. The most surreal story, "Our Expedition," involves two boys who decide to trek out to see what lies beyond the printed road map of their neighborhood.

Some of the stories have a dreamy feel to them, as in one of my favorites, "Undertow," in which a dugong (a sea cow-type mammal) is discovered beached in a front yard. My very favorite story is the creepy but immensely satisfying "Wake," in which neighborhood dogs get a strange revenge against an animal abuser. A few, like "Broken Toys," about a cranky old lady who eventually warms up to the neighborhood kids, are more traditional but most of the tales are at least a bit off-kilter, which is meant as a recommendation. Most are very short, 1 or 2 pages, and some are told in a bold mix of words and illustrations. I read this book weeks ago, and the tales have stayed with me more strongly than I thought they would. Search this out for yourself or the adventurous "outsider" teen reader in your life.