The Red Tree

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nobody understands

"Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to."

A sparsely-worded picture book by Shaun Tan, following a day in the life of a depressed young girl. In variously lush and nightmarish landscapes, she hangs onto a shred of hope -- which takes the form of a bright red leaf.

Tropes used in The Red Tree include:

• What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids? - Despite being a picture book, with few words, this book still deals with some pretty dark themes: depression, isolation, and identity loss.
• Scenery Porn - Taken to the extreme with Tan's beautiful, creepy paintings.
• The Woobie - the young protagonist.