by Carlo Santos, May 4th 2008  Hotel Africa  GN 1  Hotel Africa
GN 1 Elvis Spillane is a young man trying to break into the film
industry, along with his friends Ed and July. The life of a
twentysomething slacker has its ups and downs, but that's
nothing new to Elvis, whose unusual childhood was spent growing
up in rural Utah, raised by his mother and grandmother in a bed-
and-breakfast called Hotel Africa. While spending time with his
friends, Elvis reflects on his childhood memories: the travelers
who passed through the hotel, the ways they touched his life,
and how he might have touched theirs.  Hee Jung Park says it
took ten years to publish the first volume of Hotel Africa. As
it turns out, the gestation period was worth it—this is a unique
work that successfully blends short story, memoir and personal
drama. And who knew that a foreigner could create such a
striking portrait of the American heartland? In fact, it barely
even feels like a comic; the writing and characters are so well-
developed that it rea