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InvisibleSpaceVamp t1_j5ixpdp wrote

I have come across a few books that are trying to be artsy and "more than just a book" and if you take away the pictures and fancy typography and and all that ... well, you just end up with a mediocre story.

Nowadays, whenever I see a book doing something different with the layout I'm wondering if its just trying to make itself look much more interesting than it actually is.

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Dazzling-Ad4701 t1_j5j13fw wrote

same. the only exception that comes to my mind is far tortuga by peter matthiessen. I love that book.

it's told in brief, very impressionistic snatches of text, and uses very simple pen-and-ink graphics as a narrative element, which it took me some time to catch on to. the story would have me anyway, but for me the layout is needed to give the right pacing and balance to the prose. so it works. those elements contribute strongly to the "feel" of the story, as well as adding beauty to how it's told.

but that's rare.

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