The Arrival

What Our Readers Are Saying

Share your thoughts on this title!

Average customer rating 5 (8 comments)

---

`

The Arrival is a graphic novel in the fullest sense; the entire story is told exclusively with images. It is the story of a man who immigrates to a foreign land to escape oppression and to make a better life for himself and for his family who will join him later. The voyage the protagonist makes is as much an internal one as an external one. He is totally immersed in the unfamiliar: language, food, clothing, furniture, appliances, vehicles, architecture, even plants and animals. Not a single element of his life remains unchanged. For instance, one comical scene has the new arrival trying to figure out how to use the water spigot in his room. Priceless! The world he left behind is a dark, dreary, sinister, claustrophobic sort of place, while the new world is a bustling, bright, animated and welcoming one. Even so, adjustment is difficult. Tan has created an alphabet for the new country so that the reader can experience the disorientation of encountering undecipherable signage, just as his protagonist does. It is remarkable how Tan manages to fully engage the reader in the difficulties inherent in the immigrant’s predicament without using a single word, and his dreamy, sepia-colored artwork is stunning. This book has the size and format of a traditional children’s picture book, but I would not consider it suitable for young children. I think the subtlety of the story told through the images would likely be lost on the very young, and the images of war are quite sinister and menacing.

`

I found ‘The Arrival’ in the children's section of Powell's, but it is far more than a picture book. It is a graphic novel that needs no words to tell the story. The pictures are beautifully done, depicting a bizarre, lovely, and terrifying world. The story of alienation and immigration to a strange new place appeals to anyone who has felt they didn't quite fit in to another culture.

`

This is a gorgeous, wordless graphic novel that uses a combination of familiarity and surreality to tell what is at its heart simply the story of an immigrant in a new land. Not only would I happily have almost any page from this book framed on my wall, but Tan manages to tell a complete story with absolutely no words, no small feat. The individual stories and the emotions of the characters come through loud and clear, and the end result is a book that had me finishing it and flipping back to the front to read it all over again.

`

this is absolutely wonderful. even from just the drawing them selves draws attention. the little details that is drawn into the frames, the indepth story of a imaagrant. it can be so much agreed by all and know the feeling. shaun tan has shown that. and he also has shown that emotion that most canot know by images that creates the emotion. recommend 100%

`

Despite the Arthur A. Levine imprint, this gorgeous and startling book is not a children's or young adult publication, though it would be appropriate for readers of any age. Tan depicts the immigrant's experience poignantly, viscerally, and with great complexity, all without any text. (Text does appear, but like the unnamed immigrant protagonist, we cannot read it.) Tan has done a wonderful job of evoking the wonder and the fear inherent in new surroundings. Each of the characters the protagonist interacts with has his or her own back story to explain the circumstances that compelled their travel (or flight) from their homelands. Tan's drawings depict emotion and action very clearly and it is easy to follow the narrative. Subsequent readings reveal both ominous and hilarious details. The creatures that accompany people in the new world reminded me a little of Philip Pullman's daemons, as visualized by Edward Gorey.

`

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel that captures the immigrant's experience.

`

Shaun Tan tells a moving story about immigration without using any words; his surreal images perfectly capture the feeling of being lost in a totally unfamiliar world.

`

While it doesn't take long to "read", its artwork is just so captivating. The reason I put read in quotes is that there aren't any words, just pictures. But the artwork that is there, is just outstanding. You could take forever just engrossed in the beautiful artwork that is inside of this book. The story that is told through this artwork is really great. Its basically the story of a man who travels to a new place and is dependent on the kindness of strangers. All in all, a great story that everyone should take a look at. May I also recommend The Fates by Tino Georgiou.