This book by Leah Hayes, done in the difficult medium of scratchboard – text and all – is a haunting collection of illustrated short stories.

The narratives tell stories of outcasts in worlds that are somewhat grotesquely fantastic and unnerving, which amount to fables about our painful insecurities. The prose style piles simple, declarative sentences on top of each other, as if told by a child, creating an otherworldly tone.

Ultimately, for a graphic narrative, there’s a bit too much black dominating these pages. You find yourself wanting less of the large blocks of run-on text and more of the excellent artwork.

Grade: B+

Funeral of the Heart is currently available.