While it was hard to put down, the pacing of the not-so-picture book The Gray City is a bit slow. Each chapter is only a few pages long (and as read via an online reader copy I am not sure of the final format size) but the page is filled. And even when everything is gray there is still color, hinting at the revelation our heroine, Robin, learns at the end of things.
This story unfolds, as said, a bit slowly. Torben Kuhlmann wants you to become as invested by the situation of our characters as they are. They want you to be in the middle of gray (and gray tones) and be as outraged by a Gray City as Robin and her friends are. Kuhlmann wants you to see that this is not a “maybe will happen” book or “it has happened” book, but one that is happening now, and if unchecked could get even worse. This all is bundled into images that explode with color when it is there, the details cover the pages, making it a busy, gray city. The illustrations are meant to be read as much as the text. I would even frame them. 
Robin and her father move to a new city (I was curious why there is no mention of a mother and why they are moving again). And it is all gray, except for the bright yellow raincoat Robin wears. Even in school you are not allowed colors, and between the yellow jacket and her art picture, Robin is sent to “overtime” or detention. This starts her journey of a little (but mighty) revolutionary.
This translation by David Henry Wilson book is due mid-September 2024. It is not for everyone necessarily, but there is someone for everyone. It is another emotional and experience book that is meant for most ages, and is as much for adults, if not more so, than for the kid reader/listener
