People say fairy tales and children’s books are too childish for an adult to read. But, I don’t think so. We lost many things, such as values and hope in the growing-up process. Oftenly, we also live with emptiness and have no idea about what we want nor our dreams.

    I also experienced that, but in that lonely journey, I came across a graphic novel. Written by Charlie Mackesy, entitled “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse”. The art style of this book is exactly like the illustrations for children’s books and the language is very light, so it’s easy to read. It only took me about 20 minutes to read it. Who knows that this light book actually became the answer to overcome that emptiness.

    This book tells you about the journey of a child who meets three animals: mole, fox, and horse. The main character in this graphic novel is the boy. At first, the boy is alone until he meets a mole which is also the beginning of the story. I feel that the boy is a reflection of our inner child - an adult who may still ask questions in life and have many doubts. Therefore, it is not surprising that the storyline of this book tells of the boy who asks a lot of ‘guidelines of life’ such as the success standard.

    You will find representations of hope and dream in this book through the development of these 4 characters. There are many things that you will get such as friendship, self-love, and life philosophy. The writer, Mackesy, is very successful in creating a touching atmosphere that makes you feel that you are being reached out when reading this book.

"what is the bravest thing you've ever said?" asked the boy

"help," said the horse.

    Though almost all the conversations are very short, the meaning of every conversation is deep. In our adulthood, the topics might be very philosophical and hard to answer. But, you might find a simple answer in this book that will make you remember your childhood hope.

    My favorite sentences in this book, also the reason why I write this article to recommend you this graphic novel is:

"Sometimes I worry you'll all realise I'm ordinary," said the boy.

"Love doesn't need you to be extraordinary," said the mole.

So, if you need a book that reminds you of your childhood and how to live in the void of growing up, this book is the answer. As adults, I think we also need to occasionally look back at our childhood to remember the things we forgot on the journey. I hope you find the reason why you began this journey after reading this book.

"we have such a long way to go," sighed the boy.

"yes, but look how far we've come," said the horse.

Writer: Wendy Belinda Tiantini

Editor: Amalia P