David Almond

Do you believe there's life after death? Slog does. He reckons that the scruffy bloke sitting outside the pork shop is his dad who has come back to visit him for one last time. Slog's mate Davie isn't convinced - but how does this man know everything Slog's dad would know?

Slog's Dad

Sarah Sammis

David McKean has a distinct, easily recognizable artistic style. It's a mixture of collage and illustration that evokes visceral, emotional responses. He has collaborated with Neil Gaiman but the first time I saw his art was in The Savage by David Almond. The two collaborated again in Slog's Dad.

This is a short book and like The Savage is a hybrid graphic novel. Davie isn't convinced in life after death but his friend Slog is. His dad made a death bed promise to visit him again. Slog believes the man sitting outside the chop shop is his father.

Most of the book is the story of how Slog's dad became sick and how the illness took its toll. The meeting on the bench is taken as matter of fact. Whether or not the visitor was really Slog's dad is left to reader to decided based on McKean's surreal illustrations.

It's a book that can be read in thirty minutes. It's also one to ponder over.

Slog's Dad

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