Scan barcode
A review by shonaningyo
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
4.0
This was such an enjoyable "read". I put the word read in quotes because there are no words to be had in this story, only illustrations.
Beautiful, detailed pencil illustrations.
I interpreted it as a sort of fantastical/steampunkish translation to the horde of immigrants that traveled to Ellis Island to enter the United States. About 90% came from piss-poor or war-ravaged countries, and many had to leave their loved ones behind and travel alone so that they could eke out a living in America first before having their family sail over to join them.
The language and script all over the buildings and documents was alien and looked like a cross between Cyrillic, upside down Latin, and a few hieroglyphics and Arabic script thrown in for good measure. It also reminded me of the language they use in Futurama (whatever it's called).
It goes to show that someone coming to America took one look at all of the banners, signs, and papers written in English and thought, "What is this, I don't even..."
And the foods and the culture and the completely foreign customs and inner workings of society...
Anyway, the unnamed main character, a man who has left his wife and child in "Old Country" has traveled to a fantastical, bright, well-oiled machine of a utopia to try to make his way in order to send them along to live with him there.
It is a bit of a culture shock, what with the language, the creatures, and the foods, but he is very fortunate to have helpful locals point him in the right direction. I was always predicting that someone would screw him over, but that never happened. Sure, he got fired from his job once because of putting the signs upside-down, but that's neither here nor there.
The passage of time is also beautifully illustrated in the way the light reflects off objects in two, three, four separate panels fixated on a ball or a bowl or a cup. The methodical process of something such as checking out prospective immigrants into the Imagination-Land of a city or sorting little trinkets (well, they looked like Chess pawns) on a conveyer belt was smooth and evenly spaced in time, as if they were snapshots taken at 3 or 5-second intervals.
I would like to think that the black thorny tendrils coiled around the Man's home land represented war/poverty, but maybe I'm just reading too much into it and it's something like an infestation problem of epic proportions.
Bottom line is, this is a very enjoyable read. It reminds me of Treasure Planet and that one story where a boy and his father are -- I think -- lost at sea and somehow end up in a Dinosaur World. My aunt had a pretty hefty tome with illustrations of dinosaurs being ridden by people and this Protoceratops being a kind of mascot/guide for the two newcomers..I think the place was called Dinosauria or something. A wonderful adventure story that is perfect for children who love to suck up extreme detail in stories and skip the words or for those who want to sit quietly and contemplate what the picture is trying to "say".
And of course, perfect for adults who can sit back and enjoy the pencil strokes and shadings that were used to make such a fine piece of work such as this.
Beautiful, detailed pencil illustrations.
I interpreted it as a sort of fantastical/steampunkish translation to the horde of immigrants that traveled to Ellis Island to enter the United States. About 90% came from piss-poor or war-ravaged countries, and many had to leave their loved ones behind and travel alone so that they could eke out a living in America first before having their family sail over to join them.
The language and script all over the buildings and documents was alien and looked like a cross between Cyrillic, upside down Latin, and a few hieroglyphics and Arabic script thrown in for good measure. It also reminded me of the language they use in Futurama (whatever it's called).
It goes to show that someone coming to America took one look at all of the banners, signs, and papers written in English and thought, "What is this, I don't even..."
And the foods and the culture and the completely foreign customs and inner workings of society...
Anyway, the unnamed main character, a man who has left his wife and child in "Old Country" has traveled to a fantastical, bright, well-oiled machine of a utopia to try to make his way in order to send them along to live with him there.
It is a bit of a culture shock, what with the language, the creatures, and the foods, but he is very fortunate to have helpful locals point him in the right direction. I was always predicting that someone would screw him over, but that never happened. Sure, he got fired from his job once because of putting the signs upside-down, but that's neither here nor there.
The passage of time is also beautifully illustrated in the way the light reflects off objects in two, three, four separate panels fixated on a ball or a bowl or a cup. The methodical process of something such as checking out prospective immigrants into the Imagination-Land of a city or sorting little trinkets (well, they looked like Chess pawns) on a conveyer belt was smooth and evenly spaced in time, as if they were snapshots taken at 3 or 5-second intervals.
I would like to think that the black thorny tendrils coiled around the Man's home land represented war/poverty, but maybe I'm just reading too much into it and it's something like an infestation problem of epic proportions.
Bottom line is, this is a very enjoyable read. It reminds me of Treasure Planet and that one story where a boy and his father are -- I think -- lost at sea and somehow end up in a Dinosaur World. My aunt had a pretty hefty tome with illustrations of dinosaurs being ridden by people and this Protoceratops being a kind of mascot/guide for the two newcomers..I think the place was called Dinosauria or something.
Spoiler
If anyone understands what I'm talking about, please comment so I can change this rambling explanation, LOLAnd of course, perfect for adults who can sit back and enjoy the pencil strokes and shadings that were used to make such a fine piece of work such as this.