A SERIOUS THOUGHT

A child comes closer to finding a place in the world after a night and a day of thoughts and observations.

This small-scale bildungsroman, newly translated by the author from the original Estonian, pairs spare lines of narrative to equally spare ink drawings featuring a solitary lad of decidedly introspective bent. One night he puts himself to bed, but instead of falling asleep he flashes on thoughts ranging from “dangerous” (joyriding with crocodiles in evening wear, one waving what’s perhaps a liquor bottle) to “frightening” (a menacing, wolfish silhouette). His thoughts then turn larger in scale until he sees himself as “but one little boy among many other children,” living separately on a tiny “marble” in space. Waking up puzzled and unsure, he goes for a walk and, absorbed in thought, gets lost. But after coming upon a hedgehog, an ant colony, and other diminutive creatures seemingly unbothered by their size, he reaches home at last with a lighter heart, no longer feeling “small or unimportant.” For all of the art’s simplicity there is a surreal quality to some scenes and details that gives the child’s imaginings an offbeat appeal. Moreover, his progress may resonate with contemplative readers feeling similarly powerless and insignificant. With the exception of one child who is filled in solid black, the few human figures in the illustrations are paper white.

Heavy lifting, even for reflective sorts…but reassuring at heart.