Celeste by I.N.J. Culbard.
Title: Celeste.
Author: I.N.J. Culbard.
Genre: Fiction, graphic novel, science fiction, fantasy, philosophical fiction.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 2014.
Summary: In Los Angeles, Ray is sitting in gridlock when he receives a call from an LAPD officer with news about his wife. Fearing the worst, he listens intently, but suddenly, the caller and everyone else around him disappears. In London, the moment two commuters catch sight of each other on a packed Monday morning tube train, everyone around them vanishes. In Japan, comic artist Yoshi has come to the Aokigahara Forest to hang himself. But when the attempt fails and he slides free, the forest comes alive with mythological creatures. Taking us through the empty freeways of Los Angeles, the deserted streets of London, and the dream world of the Aokigahara Forest, Celeste is a story that explores what it means to be alive.
My rating: 8.5/10.
♥ “It’s like a sinking feeling, you know, when it dawns on you that you’re completely on your own.”
“Why did you swim out that far?”
“Don’t know. Hadn’t occurred to me. Swam out to the buoy first, then I thought I’d swim out a little bit more - never thought I’d lose sight of land. And then all I could think about was, you know, the coastal shelf, and the darkness below the surface. Just couldn’t get it out of my mind. Dark miles beneath me, and above me the vast open sky. I felt so small. So alone. I felt like the world was going to eat me. We’re not supposed to be alone. That’s why we see faces in things. It’s nature making sure we seek each other out.”
“Like when we see Mother Teresa in a slice of toast, or Hitler in a dog’s arse?”
“Yeah. Exactly that. Like Hitler in a dog’s arse. That’s not something you keep to yourself.”’