The Arrival

When I need inspiration for something to read, I walk the shelves of my local library. I'm especially fond of walking the shelves of the tween and middle grade books. One of the gems I've found this way is The Arrival by Shaun Tan. The Arrival tells the story through pictures alone of a man leaving his home and family for a foreign country to seek work. He arrives passport in hand to a place vaguely familiar but not entirely a real world place. It's a metropolis inspired by big cities around the world but doesn't represent a single one. Tan's realistic sepia tone illustrations peppered with fantasy elements gives the impression of watching an old silent film, a UFA fantasy perhaps. In bookish terms, his drawings remind me of the illustrated half of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

AMAZING!! BEAUTIFUL STORY AND STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS! WOW!

Wordless story told with beautiful artistry.

Beautiful artwork! Good story. A very dark, dramatic and scary story about immigration. Plus, some creepy moments. Downside was, well, I didn't like when I would turn a page and found a whole page full of little boxes.. the artwork in them was like, not deserving them little stupid boxes. Simply because the art in this one is amazing and the whole setting and feeling it creates it just leaves you speechless (get it? hah..) and well, putting little 1x1 boxes as panels here and there ruins that magnificent art. Oh well..

so beautiful

There isn't even a single word in this entire graphic novel, and it still brought me to tears. Simply amazing.

It's made of wonder.

WOW! I really loved it.

Marvellous work. Through the complete fusion between form and story Tan has achieved a total masterpiece. Visually arresting able to tele-transport you in another world, a likely and credible but strange universe. More in my portuguese blog: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...

في الاول كنت مستغرب الفكرة وانا بشوف الصور وبعدين لقيت نفسي بنساب معاها ومحستش بنفسي غير وانا فاتح بوقي وعقلي بيتكلم بصوت عاالي وبيحكي القصة كل صورة وكل تفصيلة ليها حكاية القصة تبدو بسيطة بس هي صعبة ومعقدة سواء من ناحية الرسومات اللي مش طبيعية وفيها حاجه بتسحل روحك او من ناحية حبكة القصة اعتقد ان دي اول قراءة ليها ولازم اقرئها تاني لاني واثق اني هكتشف تفاصيل اكتر

It's made of wonder.

A really cool story about an immigrant in a very strange world, and his family. No words, and rather quick, but lots of little details and not a book you'd mind rereading.

A graphic novel with stunning illustrations and no words which deals with the topic of immigration, The Arrival tells the story of an immigrant father's arrival in a new country and what it feels like to be an outsider in a strange country as he awaits the day when his wife and daughter will finally join him. Highly recommended!

An amazing graphic novel. Wordless yet worthy to explain the ways in which immigration works in surrealist ways. The absolute fun of reading such a book is in connecting each an every frame. It is like a motion picture, whose keyframes are presented and you fill the rest with your imagination. A fantastic parallel to what words do, only much stricter.

Prosto da se zaplačeš na kraju od sreće. :)

This story is very gripping from the beginning, and it is easy to follow and enjoy without words - I actually think it would not have been so good if there was text. The art is breathtaking, Shaun Tan's imagination is on full display here and it is beautiful.

Quick Review: Beautifully illustrated novel that comments on the struggles and realities of immigration. Loved that the fantastical nature of the new land will make all readers feel as lost and confused as the man moving there, creating what I can only imagine are similar feelings that immigrants actually experience. Loved it.