Wednesday is the most mysterious day of the week

Kuzhali Manickavel doesn’t think like everyone else. Nor does she write like anyone else. When you read her stories it’s like opening a Pandora’s box where weird and beautiful things are wildly juxtaposed and the words and images etch themselves into your brain.

Lily Mae Martin sees the world with a clarity few can match. Her art captures myriad visions of exquisite beauty and strangeness. She is scarily talented.

Perhaps its because the editors were all so in awe of both these artists that we decided to matchmake them.

Their creation is the graphic short story – The Wednesday Room. Every time I read it, I find something new in the words and illustrations. One review described it as ‘whimsical’  but it’s more than that – it’s subtle and clever and cheeky at the same time as being perplexing and thought-provoking.

Lily Mae’s rendering of Kavya, a girl who can see supernatural beings,  is as perfect fusion of sombreness and fantastical cuteness. Kabya’s beloved monster companion is at risk of disappearing from her world if she conforms to her society’s demands. It’s magical thinking at its best.