The Hotel at the End of the World

In the Hotel at the end of the world it's business as usual, as Pema dishes up rice and pork curry to travellers who stop by for a drink and refuge from the rains. Everyone there has a story to tell, and at times they end up revealing more than they want to. On their journey to China, Kona and Kuja, bound together by fate, stumble upon the trail of the Floating Island, promised land of plenty. Pema's story is about lost love, while her husband speaks of homesick Japanese soldiers in Manipur and the Naga Hills during World War II. The Prophet takes us back to the quest for the Floating Island, leading us to the little girl's story as she sets out to fetch water and chances upon something quite unexpected. Drawing from various oral storytelling and folklore traditions, and with influences ranging from Commando war comics to World War II history and Buddhist art, Parismita Singh creates a world that's magical and yet very real. Exquisite in terms of both narrative and artwork, The Hotel at the End of the World marks a new height in graphic fiction in India.