Monday 24 January 2011

Books: The Arrival

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The Arrival
By Shaun Tan

2007





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

This book reminds me more of silent movies than other comic books. Completely wordless and with gorgeous musty artwork that takes place in a dreamlike netherland between the early 20th century and an far-off surrealist alien world The Arrival is a paean to the journey of the immigrant that manages to never be preachy or condensing but is instead - and this is the best word for it - enchanting. With detailed sepia drawings that bring to life images that range from the charming to the utterly nightmarish (there's one part that gives me chills just thinking about it) and sweep from small boxes to full-page spreads you can feel the careful love and attention imprinted on every page. It's been labelled as a children's book - but really it's one of the few books that can be read and appreciated by anyone who takes the time to read it and has been deservedly lauded by everyone from Art Spiegelman to Marjane Satrapi, from The Guardian to The Times. Choice quotes: "Every home should have one" "Few will remain unaffected by this timeless stunner." "Endlessly detailed and wonderfully strange."

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Links: Sean T Collins ReviewNew York Times Review, Book Slut Review.

Further reading: GoliathHabibiMezolith, Stitches, A Taste of Chlorine, You Really Don't Look 50 Charlie Brown.

All comments welcome.

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