Only a Slender Internal Connection

“Do you have any associations to either of those things?”

Three times a week, the patient blocks the sun coming in through the window, turns on a string of holiday lights, and lies on her bed in a dark, red room. She begins each session by recounting the dreams of the preceding days. The patient, in concert with her analyst on the other end of the line, follows where her speech takes her.

Each story in Only a Slender Internal Connection interprets a fifty minute psychoanalytic session via its dreams, with words faithfully reconstructed from notes.

About the Artist

Xiaoxiao Li is an award-winning cartoonist and zine-maker based in North Scarborough, Canada. At present, she’s begun academic study with the intention to realize her middle school dream of being a therapist, and eventually a psychoanalyst.

About Conundrum 25

CONUNDRUM 25, a landmark series of gem-like volumes, presents masters of the graphic short story form at work in a range of styles. From precious rediscoveries to gender-playful fictions, fabular futurism to uncanny imaginings, there are stories by a new generation of Conundrum artists alongside classics of the form. Bringing together past, present, and future in our 25th year and beyond, CONUNDRUM 25 is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.

Publication Details

ISBN: 9781772620894
112 pages, 4.25 x 6.25 inches
b&w, trade paper
October 2023