Tan, Shaun (2008). The Arrival. NY, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0439895294
Author: Shaun Tan
Author Website: shauntan.net
Illustrator: Shaun Tan
Illustrator Website: shauntan.net
Media Used: drawing and painting
Publisher: Scholastic
Year of Publication: 2007
ISBN: 0439895294
Annotation: The father of a family leaves his country to seek a better life in this wordless novel. The narrative is depicted with strange and very different characters and landscapes. It is as if the reader sees through the immigrant’s eyes.
Personal Reaction: This book was totally fascinating and a feast for the reader’s eyes. The front and back plates have haunting pictures of various immigrants throughout history. The story of the man’s travels and travails is as riveting as it is poignant. At first it seems it is just an immigrant story but soon the reader realizes that he is seeing the new land as if he/she were the newcomer. It is mesmerizing.
Illustration: Shaun Tan is a genius at conveying a story with gentle and sensitive drawings. I usually do not like surreal depictions and fantasy but Tan intersperses enough reality with these drawings to accompany the unspoken narrative for the reader to be able to follow the magical story.
Use of Media: graphic novel with intricate but simple drawings
Use of literature device: This is a wordless novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment