Book Review on The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tan, Shaun. 2007. THE ARRIVAL. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439895294

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In this very personal wordless graphic novel, Shaun Tan describes the feelings and experiences of a man who embarks on a journey to a new land in order to make a better life for his family.  He details the heartbreaking emotions of parting from his family as well as the sheer optimism that goes along with planning for a better future.  He depicts the difficult, lonely, and challenging situations that many immigrants often encounter.  Even though many aspects about the new place are similar, they are also very different.  There are new languages, methods of doing specific tasks, animals, scenery, people with differing perspectives on life, etc.  The man adapts to his new environment, works hard, and eventually his family is able to join him.  The family holds on to their native culture and embraces their new culture.    

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Even though this is a wordless graphic novel, the emotions and sequence of events are thoroughly explained.  The book is composed in the form of an old, weathered photo album.  Small and large pictures are intermingled in a way that allows the reader to follow the sequence of events that lead to a crucial event.  The more mundane events are represented by small pictures and crucial events are represented by large pictures.  The pictures are very detailed.  The emotions of the characters, the scene unfolding in the background, and the progression of events are skillfully crafted.

This book is amazing in so many ways.  Shaun Tan represents the oppressed and possibly unsafe homeland by drawing dark shadows over the city, dragon like tails coiling around the city, and scared facial expressions of the characters.  He emphasizes the difficult journey that immigrants face in many ways.  The departure from his family is very emotional and one of the few personal belongings he can take with him is the family picture.  The difficulty of adapting to the new place is challenging and often times frustrating.  There is a new language and different ways of doing things.  In one scene, he resorts to drawing a picture of a bed to convey the message that he needed a place to stay.    

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Tan captures the displacement and awe with which immigrants respond to their new surroundings in this wordless graphic novel.”

Starred Review in BOOKLIST: “Recipient of numerous awards and nominations in Australia, THE ARRIVAL proves a beautiful, compelling piece of art, in both content and form.”

Review from Marjane Satrapi, author of PERSEPOLIS: “THE ARRIVAL is an absolute wonder.  It’s not often you see art of this quality, or a book that’s so brave.”

Review from Brian Selznick, author of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET: “THE ARRIVAL is beautiful.  I loved how it slowly dawned on me that this bizarre world was how any immigrant might see the new place they go… everything is different and scary and magical.  The drawings are just so lovely, endlessly detailed and wonderfully strange.  Bravo.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*If you feel comfortable leading a discussion about immigration, the often times difficult challenges that immigrants face, adapting to a new land, or becoming bicultural, this is a book that encourages empathy and sharing.

*Other books by Shaun Tan:

Tan, Shaun. 2009. TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA. ISBN 9780545055871

Tan, Shaun. 2007. THE HAUNTED PLAYGROUND. ISBN 9781598899160

Tan, Shaun. 2002. THE LOST THING. ISBN 0734403887

Tan, Shaun. 2010. THE RED TREE. ISBN 9780734411372