Building Stories

A decade-spanning, architecturally ambitious graphic novel from Jonathan Cape, Building Stories unfolds through a boxed collection of fourteen distinct printed pieces—a book, a pamphlet, a broadsheet, and more—that can be read in any order. Created by Chris Ware, this 2012 work explores the intertwined lives of the residents of a single Chicago apartment building, from a lonely young woman to an elderly couple, with his signature meticulous linework and deeply empathetic storytelling. Its fragmented, non-linear structure invites readers to physically assemble the narrative themselves, making it a landmark in the evolution of the comic form as a tactile, immersive experience.