A LOVE STORY ILLUSTRATED

The Pharos Gate: Griffin & Sabine’s Lost Correspondence (Chronicle Books), takes us back to the conceit author Nick Bantock first introduced in the original Griffin & Sabine 25 years ago: we discover the letters and postcards and, by opening them, unfold a narrative and a mystery. Here’s a peek at the latest book

ENVELOPES AND ILLUSTRATIONS

The Pharos Gate, as with Griffin & Sabine and the other books in Bantock’s series before it, features embellished envelopes and pictures in which the reader searches for clues to the narrative. The illustrations and postmarks are as much a part of the story as the letters themselves.

TO SABINE

“I believe we all have it within us to choose our own rebirth, but maybe we first need to believe we are not alone. You have made me believe that. Your eyes have made me mortal.”

THE LETTER WITHIN

Bantock makes reading the book a physical experience — there’s a real sense of anticipation as you flip open the envelope and pull out the letter, wondering what you’re going to find inside. Some of the letters are plainly typed, some have other pictures on them, all adding little bits of detail to the story.

POSTCARD FROM EGYPT

Each of the postcards has clues and details about the journey Griffin and Sabine are taking. We see here a postmarked stamp from Egypt, complete with a figure on a cycle, implying motion and movement, coupled with a more fantastical postcard front featuring a white wing and palm fronds.

TO GRIFFIN

“The last few days at home were all too bittersweet. I visited many of my old haunts, and spent time with both my parents. The islands seemed more beautiful than ever, although I was aware of everything feeling less substantial . . .”

TO GRIFFIN

“I believe, Griffin, that you and I were born inside each other, like changelings inverted within a prism. You have always needed someone to love and cherish you so you imagined me . . . What you did not understand was that the person you had imagined already existed.”