The attention around the new Netflix film adaptation is what first brought me to this story. I then learned that it was based off of a book with the same name, The Electric State, and I was eager to read the original source material after enjoying the film so much. Especially when I learned that it was a graphic novel!

Although I hadn’t realised that the book was part of a series. An unusual mistake for me to make because I’m normally very alive to these facts. But when I caught a glimpse of the book in a store – it was very hard to ignore with its striking cover and I was entirely blown away by it – I just wanted to start reading immediately!

I absolutely adore Stålenhag’s art and if this book had been nothing but pictures with no text (almost like a silent film!) it would have still been ten-out-of-ten. Even without any writing there is such a clear story being told within the illustrations that I feel you’d have wanted for nothing more, even with only art in the book.

The art really is spectacular. Just pure magic. It’s atmospheric, cinematic and haunting at some points. It incites feelings within me that were palpable.

The story itself was very melancholic and evocative by nature and the art only served to enhance the effect. Where some of the spreads brought forth in me that of longing and of hope; this kind of overpowering optimism and yearning for the future, other pages would give me a futile feeling of hollowness. I was sometimes left with a sense of my own ineffectual impact on the negative direction our own world seems to be heading.

I’d have thought that such a raw response may have been unwelcome but I found that I enjoyed this uncontrolled emotional reaction. I’m of the mindset that it’s a sign of powerful and effectual storytelling. Even more so if it’s a piece of artwork that makes me feel such a way. When this happens, if I’ve been reading or watching something, I tend to sit with the feeling and with my thoughts for a while after.

The pacing of the book is slow, much to my liking, as the slow-burn is my preferred method of storytelling. It allows for proper and gradual worldbuilding and gives time to audiences to remain with scenes for a beat longer. Everything becomes so much more believable to me when there’s a deep-rooted history and environment established early on. And established long before the reader is introduced to the choices and actions that have led to the current timeline and events!

Things aren’t disclosed to us obviously either, quite like how our teachers used to tell us to always show and not tell in our creative writing while at school. Hints are dropped subtly throughout the story in both the text and the art to help guide us through and tie everything together as things get gradually revealed in the book.

This puzzle-piece story telling in part came from the character of Michelle and from her disjointed narrative perspective. There was an inconsistency of writing style that affected the flow and tone of the story, though not unenjoyably, and it was all because of Michelle. On occasion the writing was mindful and ran smooth like water. Other times, it was like an endless stream of Michelle’s consciousness. The illustrations do a lot of the storytelling but it was balanced so well with the prose of choice, that everything came together so wholly powerful and complete. The lack of punctuation in these streams of conscious also accentuated how desperate the world around Michelle was. With no breathing room as I read, I felt that the rushed and distressed narrative brought some life and emotion into the desolate world around her.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable read and at the end I was left wanting more. Which is the sign of a great story and of a great world. And as an aside, I’d also love to learn how to do digital art like Stålenhag and learn to create such emotive and potent work where every brush stroke matters and a story can so effectively be told even with no text at all!

There are two more books in this series for me to go back and immerse myself into now; and maybe try and study from, too. But I have a lot to learn and digital art is a steep hill to try and climb.

But it is such a gorgeous book and I’d a-hundred-percent recommend for everyone to give it a go. Right now. Stålenhag’s incredible art deserves all the recognition and praise!