by Leah Hayes
Funeral of the Heart is Leah Hayes' stylistic graphic novel tour-de-force debut, featuring a series of short stories by Hayes and illustrated entirely using the otherworldly medium of scratchboard. Hayes creates a world of unease and ambiguity populated by obsessive characters, forlorn animals, and mysterious, inanimate objects. Odd occurrences, unnerving deaths and unconventional but genuine love bind these characters and their stories together. Stories with titles like "The Bathroom," "The Needle," and "The Hair" sound innocuous, but they aren't fables that should be read to one's children - unless your children enjoy being made uneasy by beautiful things.