Book Review: Lost and Found

Lost and Found is a compilation of three stories, The Red Tree, The Lost Thing and The Rabbits. They were originally published as separate titles between 1998 and 2001, all of which are now hard to find at a reasonable price. This compilation makes more economic sense.

Looking at Shaun Tan's work back then is sort of a revelation of great things to come, such as The Arrival and Tales of Outer Suburbia.

"The Red Tree" is about a girl finding hope in a dark world. It's a gloomy and depressing story that, thankfully, has a bright spot at the ending. The visuals for the first story are really gloomy and depressing but yet works so effectively well to convey the sense of hopelessness felt by the little girl.

"The Lost Thing" is about a guy helping a thing (that one on the cover) find its way home in a peculiar city that has an affiliation, it seems, with pipes.

"The Rabbits" is a humorous yet serious story on colonization by ambitious rabbits. It's told dramatically in short sentences, covering events that is reminiscence of our industrial world.

Shaun Tan's art wonderfully recreates the world in which these stories take place, especially the sense of fascination and fantasy. The book ends nicely with Shaun Tan talking about each story and the inspiration behind them.

This is a beautiful and unique book. The stories might be short but they leave a behind a sense of wonder.

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