Essay comic book about life's detours: Goraein A Little Sketchbook

When I Want to Look into Someone Else's Life

Whenever my thoughts are a mess, there are times when I want to know about someone else's life. “How do other people live?” Everyone has a different way of living, so as someone who still has so much to learn, I like looking into other people's lives through books. This time was the same.

A Little Sketchbook

A Writer's Story of Heading in a New Direction

I heard that writer Sanghyeon originally worked in architectural design before becoming a writer. Seeing the way he turns his own story into a book, I was struck by his passion for a new challenge. It resonated with me even more because I, too, am changing my career path and heading in a new direction.

Just like the title, a little sketchbook arrived with the book. It felt as though I had gained a sketchbook of my own. Before I had even started reading, I was already wondering what I might draw in it.

The Structure of a Brunch Book Special Award Winner

I heard this book received a Special Award in the Brunch Book Publishing Project. A Brunch Book is a book wholly conceived, put together, and written by its author. Because of that, the author's intentions come through especially well, and I could feel the honest content more deeply.

Looking at the table of contents, it is calmly arranged in the order of a life. Even some of the subtitles alone made my heart feel heavy.

Following Moments of Wandering Through Comics and Words

Most of the main thread is drawn in comics, while some parts are written in prose. But because there are so many illustrations, it is easy to read without feeling weighed down. The stories were also problems I had gone through myself, so they felt a little heavy at times, yet I could not put the book down.

As I looked at the moments of wandering drawn out one by one, I read as though I were digging through memories of my own, not someone else's.

And just as I had, the book finds its answers through passing moments, moving along as if quietly reciting them. After reading it, I felt that I, too, had grown through one person's life. I could also picture the writer having grown stronger through acceptance.

Thoughts That Remain After 30 Minutes

It is a book that can easily be read in 30 minutes, but I think it requires a great deal of thought to read and judge another person's life in only 30 minutes. Moments from my own life came to mind; I hurt alongside them, and I overcame things alongside them. Just as my life is like that, everyone else's life must be, too. A Little Sketchbook is a book that makes you feel as though you are growing together. Tonight, I find myself wondering whether I should draw a sketchbook of my own.