What If…?

Joe lost the invitation--with the address--to his friend Tom's party. As Joe and his mom walk down Tom's street, each window they pass shows a silhouette of something seemingly ordinary inside. A page turn, however, brings into focus the surreal, sometimes nightmarish scenes that are actually taking place. With its sophisticated visual humor, this is Browne at his artistically weird and psychologically complex best.

Joe is a little worrywart to start with, so it doesn't help matters that he's lost the invitation--with the address--to his friend Tom's birthday party. His mom assures him that since they know what block Tom lives on, they'll be able to find the right house. They walk down the street, and each picture window they pass shows a silhouette of something seemingly ordinary inside the house. A page turn, however, brings into focus the strange, surreal, sometimes nightmarish scenes that are actually taking place (including an homage to Bruegel's Children's Games). Many of Joe's "what if" questions are humorously echoed in what they see. For example, just as he worries "What if I don't like the food?," the pair passes a house containing four Tweedledee and Tweedledum-like schoolboys sitting around a table laden with worms, eyeballs, snails, and a smiling soft-boiled egg. The discussion between levelheaded mother and socially anxious son continues in dialogue that moves seamlessly between speech balloons (Joe: "When will you come get me?" Mom: "In a couple of hours or so") and main text ("'Can't you come earlier?' asked Joe. 'What if it's awful?'"). When Joe and his mom finally get to the last house on the block--the house that must be Tom's--the strange silhouettes reveal themselves to be...a very cheery party with children Joe already knows. With its sophisticated visual humor, this is Browne at his artistically weird and psychologically complex best. kathleen t. horning