Dear J, is about a boy from Singapore and a girl from Finland, who, through correspondence of handwritten letters, drawings and photographs, help each other understand the differences in their cultures and the semblance in their perceptions about themselves, the world around them and, most of all, life.

Dear J, is a large book, as we wanted the reader to prepare themselves and engage it as a whole experience rather than read it while waiting for time to pass. Pages were hand-sewn and the cover was handmade with artist canvas inked with an image of trees taken from the book. This shows the beauty of the raw and honest relationship of the authors in correspondence. With correspondence from both sides, we wanted a simple solution to fuse two books into one; the left flip side of the book, Dear J, is from Justin in Singapore and the right flip side of the book, Rakas J, is in Finnish with translated text from Johanna in Finland. After each letter is sent, the pages of their conversation overlap to reflect the interaction between the two friends, like a long conversation over time.

“At first, I was annoyed by the complex page structure, but slowly I came to love the personal experience I was having—savoring each turning, not wanting to be rushed away to another appointment.”