* The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf 2023
* The White Ravens 2023
The diver enters a deep blue underwater city where mankind has disappeared and yet somehow everything else looks perfectly normal. Could it have something to do with the puppy who keeps crying out for its father even though its calls seem to go unanswered?
“Dad, is that you?” The faint figure of the yellow puppy seems to be leading the diver down into the blue depths of an underwater city. From the furniture in the living room to the cars on the roads and the machines in the factories, it’s as if everything there is totally normal except that the humans are nowhere to be seen, and all that remains are the sea creatures swimming amongst the objects. Along the way, the puppy accompanies the diver on his familiar walk and keeps calling out “Dad” but gets no response.
By alternating between the vivid yellow conversations with the puppy and the navy-blue scenes of the underwater city, the book creates an intense contrast where the simple dialogue conveys the happy memories the puppy has of the diver in the past while also juxtaposing the silent tranquility of the city in the present. The way the two intertwine evokes an atmosphere that’s tinged with melancholy and encourages the reader to contemplate the twin topics of life and the environment.
