Absentee

The Absentee is a collection of surreal short stories that confront the anxieties and self-doubts that can obstruct some of life’s larger spiritual mysteries. In the first piece, the eponymous Absentee visits his therapist, where his endeavours of introspection are thwarted by an internal censor who is more concerned with the recent death of Leonard Cohen. In the second piece, we follow him on an interstellar expedition which is marooned on an abandoned planet, home to a singular, endless building. This motley crew confronts a series of tragedies while in search of their true mission. In the third piece, we find him in an austere winter landscape, where he encounters a strange teenage girl who serves as his guide through a world that is both uncannily familiar and weirdly menacing. The final piece follows the protagonist as he arrives exceedingly late for a graduation ceremony where he must overcome supernatural obstacles in order to claim his diploma.

The Absentee is a softcover book (full colour) of 144 pages, drawn using water-soluble crayon, ink and a bit of digital colour. It is for readers of adult literary fiction who are seeking a distinctive approach to Magic Realism.