I Can See You, Can You See Me?

In ‘I Can See You, Can You See Me?’ the narrator unfolds a day in the lives of a handful of characters, uncovering their wishes, memories and doubts. Different lives touch on each other in a city square. Goeminne zooms in on seven people, including an old woman daydreaming on a bench, a young man obsessed with gleaming white teeth and a child who longs to get a dog. She shows how we are all passers-by in each other’s lives, while we play the lead in our own.

The short, associative, expressive texts create evocative insights into the inner lives of people passing through the square during the day. The dreamlike images, filled with humorous touches, are an ode to beauty, nostalgia and the power of the imagination. They also emphasise the theme of loneliness the story touches upon here and there.

The rather wooden figures look past each other and seem trapped in their own worlds at times. However, the soft patina enveloping these desolate scenes adds a sense of tenderness and consolation. The book invites readers to stop and reflect – not just on the lives of the people passing through the square, but on their own lives as well.