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The Arrival | February 27, 2013

by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc., Oct. 2007)

In this wordless graphic novel, a man travels to a faraway city seeking better job prospects and a safer home for his family. The immigrant struggles to find his footing in the foreign environment, where he doesn’t understand the language, the customs, or why a strange, little, four-legged creature trails him wherever he goes. Fortunately, friendly strangers help him figure out transportation and employment, often describing how they came to be “arrivals” in the great city; one kind family even welcomes him to dinner and shows him how to prepare some of the city’s odd produce. The immigrant eventually makes enough money to send for his wife and daughter. Reunited, the family puts down roots in the big city.

The wonderful thing about wordless books is that any reader, regardless of the language he or she speaks, can follow the story. ‘The Arrival’ is also universal in its message —not only are we a nation of immigrants, but everyone understands the fear of not belonging, be it in a large or a less noticeable way. Shaun Tan’s drawings beautifully render the worry and homesickness on the immigrant’s face, the vast city’s otherworldly architecture through changing seasons, and the local people’s migrant stories within the larger narrative. All of this is accomplished with only black and white pencil. ‘The Arrival’ is the type of book that reveals a new detail or interpretation with every reading—a true masterpiece.

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