SOMEWHERE/NOT/HERE

A collection of prose, poetry, letters, scripts, and illustrations recounts the eclectic ramblings of a goblin girl and her otherworldly group of friends.

“A goblin girl am I…I wandered into this world from Somewhere/not/here.” From the opening lines of this book, credited to the Goblin Queen, readers delve into a moody, dreamy world from which a character, also named the Goblin Queen, narrates her innermost feelings. She launches into various “M-tales” (“the misadventures, the mistakes, the misery, the misdeeds, the melancholy, the macabre, the mundane, the misdemeanors, the murderous”) and navigates relationships with an equally outcast group of friends. These include the punk-faerie Shockappeal; the Alice in Wonderland–themed Cheshire Cat (who now wants to be called “Dark Vade Cat,” in a tongue-in-cheek Star Warsreference); the cryptic and occasionally obtuse Halloween Jack (who’s also credited as the book’s illustrator); and Techno-Witch, who eventually joins the ragtag bunch on a search for “Wisdom.” The format begins with prose, but eventually makes its way to poetry, a full screenplay written by Shockappeal, letters, and even song lyrics to a musical by the Goblin Queen. Some pages contain only a few words, others are blank with minimal black-and-white sketches around the edges, and still others feature full-color illustrations with eerie images, such as a profile of a girl surrounded by flames and psychedelic-looking mushrooms. The book’s symbolism isn’t exactly subtle; Goblin’s feelings of otherness and of emotional alienation from her “care/less” human parents could describe most teenagers. However, the book’s self-awareness (“Okay, I’m not cynical anymore. / It was just a phase”) and pure imagination effectively fuel an almost dreamlike descent into the vacillating emotions of youth. Even over-the-top moments contain moving truths: “My silver braces smiled jagged smiles at the world, at the humans. The truth was in the jaggedness, not the smile.” Although there’s very little plot, Goblin’s emotional exploration offers an ongoing, enjoyable journey of its own.

A unique set of musings that read like witty, dramatic diary entries from another world.