The Arrival was a very different kind of graphic novel than I had ever read because it is wordless. The story benefited from the lack of language because our protagonist clearly cannot speak with the new citizens of his new land. The story is a familiar one, particularly to Americans who have ancestry from other countries (at least from Europe). An immigrant from a doomed land with scary spooky spiked shadows rides on a big boat for ages to finally make his way in the New World. Tan did a great job of communicating universal emotions throughout the piece including sorrow, loneliness and unfamiliarity as well as joy, laughter and family. I thought that the artwork was absolutely beautiful, and the treatments to some of the images making them look old and tattered gave it a period without ever having to explain it in words. I particularly enjoyed the way he captured the day to day activities on a busy street, giving us a setting but then adding the details that are just a little 'off' that are familiar to the people who live there. The addition of fantasy elements made it universal to every reader because we don't know what it's like to live there either and therefore we are experiencing that world along with the protagonist. The animals that everyone had added some fun and whimsy- that lizard dog thing was reallly cute.
I find it interesting that this book is mostly sold and marketed as a children's story. Though I understand it is technically a 'picture book' I would think that this classification narrows the audience to stumble upon it in a bookstore or library. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever been in an unfamiliar place of any age. I greatly enjoyed this graphic novel and I look forward to what's in store for the rest of the year!
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