There is a secret place between reality and dream, present and past, life and death. It is in that place that these stories are set. To get there you have to find a calm corner of your house, or maybe a solitary garden. Take a breath, relax your mind and open this book.
Although presented as a collection of short stories, the chapters the reader will find in this volume remind of thoughts and daydreams. They are very short, sometimes not reaching five pages, and they are quiet, with few speech bubbles. Their unsaturated colours paint vast and still, almost suspended, spaces. A mysterious protagonist explores them: she finds herself in beautiful, but melancholic circumstances, and she is always alone.
The simplicity of rooms and character design is counterbalanced by detailed elements, mainly natural but also artificial. This attention to details reveals the author's love for ordinary things. In this collection of one-shots everything can be amazing, if seen from the right perspective. Even normal things that surround us every day and that mostly go unnoticed have a soul.
The situations narrated never feel realistic, and often have a surreal aura. Transparent fishes swimming in the sky, houses floating on the ocean and time-travel phones are just a few of the bizarre things you will find in this book. Despite this, the emotions and thoughts evoked feel very real.
Because it is impossible to fully understand or completely interpret what is shown, there is no pressure to do so. The reader is encouraged to simply experience the volume as it is, just like the protagonist experiences the environments she is in.
While you live your life you are immersed in it- but there are strange, little moments when you take a step back and are able to see everything like a spectator. You are alone: time stops and weird, poetic, philosophic thoughts come to mind. Then you just get back to life. And this is exactly what reading "Notes from apartment 107" feels like.
