The Arrival
A truly remarkable work of art that is already one of the most talked-about books of the season."Tan's lovingly laid out and masterfully rendered tale about the immigrant experience is a documentary magically told." -- Art Spiegelman, author of Maus"An absolute wonder." -- Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis"A magical river of strangers and their stories!" -- Craig Thompson, author of Blankets"A shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city. Wordless, but with perfect narrative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with cityscapes worthy of Winsor McCay." -- Jeff Smith, author of Bone"Shaun Tan's artwork creates a fantastical, hauntingly familiar atmosphere... Strange, moving, and beautiful." -- Jon J. Muth, Caldecott Medal-winning author of Zen Shorts"Bravo." -- Brian Selznick, Caldecott Medal-winning author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret"Magnificent." -- David Small, Caldecott Medalist
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Community Reviews
Have you ever seen a trunk in your maybe your parentâs house? Itâs old and worn and yet, you know it holds treasures or secrets about your parents? This was what it was like when I saw the cover of The Arrival by Shuan Tan. In this wordless book it peels back the layers of a man who has to leave his country for another land (USA) in search of better opportunities. With a heavy heart, he must leave his wife and child and immigrate to the USA for riches. Many of us have our parents or our parentâs parents immigrate here.
Many who came to America seemed freedom, a better way of living or were told, "the streets were lined with gold." Those who had no choice fled. Those who had a choice, came and things did not always work out in their favor. They saw many strange things and everything scared them. The horrors the recall in their trapped minds haunt them, there in their homeland and now after they immigrated through Ellis Island.
Shaun Tan brilliants depicts a man who has to leave behind his young daughter and wife to go to America seeking riches. He arrives and knows no one. Language barrier prevents him from understanding what people are saying to him. However, other immigrants see him and help him because they recall what it was like when they came over. Slowly, he becomes friends with a few and he tries to go from one job to another, constantly getting fired because he did something wrong but only because of the language barrier. As he works tirelessly at a factory, he sends money home to his family. He also encounters other immigrants who share with him why they immigrated and some of the horrors they faced. It's absolutely sad and heartbreaking from a girl from China who was kidnapped, forced to shovel coal in the coal mines (this was happening in the Xia Dynasty with the japanese kidnapping chinese girls), and a man who was a hero as he left to serve his country in war and as he waves goodbye to his town and his sweetheart, he comes back to his village after the war, crippled and missing one leg and finding his village decimated by war. He lost everyone, including his love.
This entire book is done through pictures Shaun Tan draws and the entire book is...wordless. I explained the book to my husband as I pointed to each photo. As I am doing this, I recall the stories my family have told me. I cannot help but think of them when reading this book. I cannot help but think, this is how they must have felt. The depictions of the animals and surrounding are obviously exaggerated but it's the magnitude of how scared they must have felt, is illuminated throughout this book and I cannot help think of my family and know, this book has touched a piece of my soul.
Many who came to America seemed freedom, a better way of living or were told, "the streets were lined with gold." Those who had no choice fled. Those who had a choice, came and things did not always work out in their favor. They saw many strange things and everything scared them. The horrors the recall in their trapped minds haunt them, there in their homeland and now after they immigrated through Ellis Island.
Shaun Tan brilliants depicts a man who has to leave behind his young daughter and wife to go to America seeking riches. He arrives and knows no one. Language barrier prevents him from understanding what people are saying to him. However, other immigrants see him and help him because they recall what it was like when they came over. Slowly, he becomes friends with a few and he tries to go from one job to another, constantly getting fired because he did something wrong but only because of the language barrier. As he works tirelessly at a factory, he sends money home to his family. He also encounters other immigrants who share with him why they immigrated and some of the horrors they faced. It's absolutely sad and heartbreaking from a girl from China who was kidnapped, forced to shovel coal in the coal mines (this was happening in the Xia Dynasty with the japanese kidnapping chinese girls), and a man who was a hero as he left to serve his country in war and as he waves goodbye to his town and his sweetheart, he comes back to his village after the war, crippled and missing one leg and finding his village decimated by war. He lost everyone, including his love.
This entire book is done through pictures Shaun Tan draws and the entire book is...wordless. I explained the book to my husband as I pointed to each photo. As I am doing this, I recall the stories my family have told me. I cannot help but think of them when reading this book. I cannot help but think, this is how they must have felt. The depictions of the animals and surrounding are obviously exaggerated but it's the magnitude of how scared they must have felt, is illuminated throughout this book and I cannot help think of my family and know, this book has touched a piece of my soul.
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