Land of Mirrors - by Maria Medem (Paperback)

About the Book

"Antonia is the sole inhabitant of a deserted town, with only a roaming pack of dogs and her own worn out memories to keep her company. Nothing is new in this world, the ponds are so still they are dead, and her recollections feel more vivid than her surroundings. At times, the isolation is unbearable. Until she meets her flower. Her flower gives her purpose: a reason to get up each morning, to ring the bells of the town, to wake up the fields, and to feel alive. And yet a relentless thought eats away at her what will happen once her flower dies? Her quest to save the flower begins alongside a charming traveler from the land of mirrors.The pair embark on a journey filled with music, swimming holes, and folk tales whispered late into the starry night. They march through the fields to the beat of turtledove calls, occasionally stopping to get drunk off the fruits of the strawberry tree. Slowly Antonia opens up to the world beyond her town, to the people who inhabit it and to the endless possibilities of community and friendship."--

Book Synopsis

Seeped in flamenco rhythms, a hero's journey of love and hope

Antonia is the sole inhabitant of a deserted town, with only a roaming pack of dogs and her own worn out memories to keep her company. Nothing is new in this world, the ponds are so still they are dead, and her recollections feel more vivid than her surroundings. At times, the isolation is unbearable. Until she meets her flower. Her flower gives her purpose: a reason to get up each morning, to ring the bells of the town, to wake up the fields, and to feel alive. And yet a relentless thought eats away at her--what will happen once her flower dies?

Her quest to save the flower begins alongside a charming traveler from the land of mirrors.The pair embark on a journey filled with music, swimming holes, and folk tales whispered late into the starry night. They march through the fields to the beat of turtledove calls, occasionally stopping to get drunk off the fruits of the strawberry tree. Slowly Antonia opens up to the world beyond her town, to the people who inhabit it--and to the endless possibilities of community and friendship.

One of Spain's most successful contemporary illustrators, Maria Medem's atmospheric storytelling bursts with sensorial delight--brimming with engrossing sounds, flavors, and tactile sensations. With impeccable line work and an enchanting use of color, Medem spins a heartfelt meditation on loneliness, friendship, and the transformative power of love.

Translated from Spanish by Aleshia Jensen and Daniela Ortiz.

Review Quotes

"Maria Medem's book is strange, in the best possible way. For a while, in the middle, I got lost in the labyrinth and broken mirrors. Then the ending wallops you with emotion. I'm humbled by a book like this--the visuals, in general, blow my mind. A beautiful and mesmerizing work of art." --Craig Thompson, Blankets

"Spellbinding and inventive. Unlike any other graphic novel around, a truly impressive debut." --Tillie Walden, Spinning

"Medem's Land of Mirrors is a beautifully shaped and polished comic, an intimate work of art that presents a mystical synthesis of line, colour, and story. An ambient experience that helps us see differently, a rare feat of ambitious imagination and extraordinary draftsmanship." --Jesse Jacobs, Crawlspace

"In evocative and quietly contemplative prose, Land of Mirrors considers solitude and longing... Medem's visuals are a sensorial and aesthetic delight." --Kay Sohini, The Washington Post

"Absolutely lovely, brimming with stunning visual concepts, as well as prose that has been translated beautifully into English. This book is a wonderful way to spend an early evening alone, curled in a chair, blissing out." --Comics Beat

"Each page is a work of art worth marveling at... For anyone who has experienced loneliness, Land of Mirrors contains a strange yet stunning world in which they just might find belonging." --The Harvard Crimson

"Land of Mirrors slips you inside a world quite unlike any you've lived in--but can still understand." --Conde Nast Traveler