Imaginary City

by Rain Chudori, Jame Kristanto (Illustrator)

The most beautiful thing you can do for a person is to remember them. In the midst of a party, a restless young woman revisits the city where she came from, and encounters a man that she has known for years. The pair falls into an inevitable affair that binds them within the map of the city. Based on the celebrated novella by Rain Chudori, Imaginary City is now rereleased as a graphic novel in collaboration with illustrator, Jame Kristanto. Imaginary City is an exploration of love, loss, and oblivion.

Genres: Fiction, Romance

168 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2022

About the author

Rain Chudori is an award-winning author, curator, and life-long nomad. She is the founder of Moment Studio & curator of Comma Books Publishing.

She has written Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories (2015), Imaginary City (2017), and Biru dan Kisah-Kisah Lainnya (2018). She is based in New Delhi, India but belongs everywhere. She is currently an artist in residence in New York.

Reviews

[Laven · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There were times when I found it difficult to be part of the world.”

[Ariel Seraphino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suka ceritanya yang cukup sederhana. Obrolan-obrolan sepasang kekasih yang bertemu dan bercerita macam-macam tentang kota bayangan yang ada dalam mimpi tokoh perempuannya. Tempat-tempat mereka ngobrol yang jadi setting mereka, serta tema-tema tertentu yang cukup penuh perenungan. Sebuah buku kecil yang menarik untuk dibaca sekali duduk. Sebagian kisah dalam buku-buku ini juga asyik dijadikan quotes2 favorit. Contohnya, "the most beautiful thing you can do for a person is to remember them."
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Jadi kalian akan ingat siapa kali ini?

[roseate · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok wait a second, aaaaaaaaa this book is beautiful!

as a fan of imaginary city og ver, the present of this graphic novel feels like a gift, even before i read it. and yes, once i began to read i can't help my self being mesmerized by the visuals. no kidding the drawings were beautiful, not kind of clean-comic like but the pencil strokes build the nuance that's perfectly fit in the story.

talk about the nuance, since i had read the text-based book, i thought it was helping me to be easily immersed in the story. i had known the pace of this book, the weight, and the feeling of 'imaginary city' before i read this one. and because i remember the text-book based, i can recall a bit what's the idea, or the theme each chapter.

it's a combine of text and picture, so i understand it should be balance. there's silence in text that the drawing could take me long time to stare. and yeah i really love that kind silence!! the epilog got me shaking for excitement it's like so epic as a closure.

however, if this graphic novel stands as a one piece of work, i do think i won't be dragged as much as i am now. because at some point, the cut of words made it feels like unfully tales. there's missing puzzle that we ought to build ourself, that might invite a dimmed imagination, since it's based on our capability as reader, not fully guided by the writer.

but afterall, i enjoyed this book so much. and might go for the 2nd read to admire. if you're fan of the previous version, go read this. and if you haven't, try both. they're really fine.

[Naila · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The only thing you can be sure of in the world is yourself."

Kolaborasi antara penulis dan ilustrator dalam novel grafis ini sangat mendukung cerita yang disajikan. Namun sayangnya, aku nggak bisa menikmati cerita di novel ini. Lalu, bagian yang membuatku agak risih adalah mereka terlalu sering berciuman. Terlalu berlebihan untuk kategori short story.

[dip_68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I just love the illustrations! So beautiful! The book talks a lot about love and exhaustion in life, which I think the author portrayed superbly ❤️

[tsukibookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book successfully gave me the emotions that it has. Reading every page of it made me feel the feelings that the characters have in this book. It's a love story and at the same time, a love story that feels so fragile as if it would break apart easily if i hold it carelessly. All the feelings are there but at the same time tend to break apart any moment.

It's short, you can finish it in one sitting. Good quotes scattered all around the pages. And for me, the story itself is something that occur in day to day lives. It's a romance that felt real and close, at least for me.

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buku ini adalah versi grafis dari novel dengan judul yang sama. Saya belum baca novelnya. Bercerita tentang sepasang manusia yang menelusuri beberapa tempat dalam sebuah kota, sambil bercerita tentang masa lalu dan harapan mereka. Ilustrasinya bagus, meski tidak full warna. Setiap bagian didominasi oleh warna tertentu. Saya berusaha memahami isi novel grafis ini, tapi rasanya it's not my cup of tea. Mungkin kalau saya membacanya di kesempatan lain akan berbeda

[isaiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What were angels for?

“So that there was someone to protect us, to guide us, to remind us that we were imperfect beings.”

⭐ 3.9/5

i honestly had planned to read only the novel version but this graphic novel catched my attention. i don’t regret reading it because its beautiful artworks are the best part. it’s also a good book to read when you’re feeling gloomy (especially after break up).

letting someone go probably is the only way to heal. ;)

[Stella Wenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a melancholic short story about people who came, stayed for a while, and eventually had to go away. Hit too close to home for me. I enjoyed it because I can relate to the bittersweet feeling. Like: Is it better if we have never met at all? Did it worth the tears and the hurt afterwards? Anyway, the drawings are so fitting with the mood of the book. My only complain is that the font is not easy too read.

[Maknunah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obrolan sepasang kekasih tentang banyak hal

"the most beautiful thing you can do person is to remember them"

"We will keep moving but in the things we create are the memories of the moments we stayed still"

[Mandewi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rasanya sudah pernah baca judulnya lama sekali. Ternyata memang ini versi grafis dari novela yang sudah pernah terbit tahun 2017.

[asta buana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is too beautiful to read.

[Max Severus · Rating 3 out of 5]

feels like i know the feeling

[Gita Karmani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration, but desperating story 🥹

[Henny Alifah · Rating 3 out of 5]

(((i had this dream that i was inside you and i could see your dream))) jadi kota khayalannya tu si cowok itu kan ya? aku yang bodoh ini gak paham, mereka itu apa? pacar? pasangan ldr? ttm? fwb? apa?

[♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In the future, we will be loved, and we will no longer ache, and we will be fine.”

[zhaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐4.5 cinematic & poetic

[Izzatun Nisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfinished. Sorry, this is not my cup of tea.

[runin · Rating 3 out of 5]

love, lose, oblivion, memories; everything always seems eternal in every stance of the city.

[Shafira Shaberina · Rating 5 out of 5]

my comfort book, already reread this dozen times

[witcotton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐ solely for the pretty art

[Dyoji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's not really my cup of coffee. Feels neither too bland nor too bitter.

[okyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

gambarnya cantik banget and it’s so beautifully written

[Fakhrunnisa NM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.9/5
Ilustrasinya bagus. Ceritanya juga.

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the illustration. It's stunning. And the story is beautifully written.