The immigration experience of your dreams

First, let me tell you how I was drawn to this book. I am the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, I enjoy doing art, I have a very short attention span, and I enjoy creative fantasy. Shaun Tan's The Arrival, the most recent of his graphic books had all the right ingredients for me - and maybe for you.

If someone was trying to tell this book by its cover, they might be completely thrown off. The cover shows a man with an old-fashioned suit and hat carrying a shabby suitcase and bending down slightly with a look of curiosity to a bizarre creature that looks like it's part fish, part cat and part pac man. Also the book's cover itself is illustrated in such a way as to appear to be an old, weathered book that once had fine leather binding. You might just think, “What the…” and never open it up...

The Story

...but then you would be missing so much. Inside is the story of the immigration experience, except that this story is told without words and this story has strange creatures, buildings, writings, machines and food that don't exist in our world. Ok, ok, sounds too weird already? Let me try to explain a little more. When you open the cover, the first pages show what looks to be a photo album of 60 Ellis Island immigrants in black, white and sepia toned realistic drawings. These were based on actual photos from Ellis Island. Looking over these faces from familiar and exotic lands grounds you to the reality of the many races and cultures that make up America.

The Arrival refers to the immigration of a man who leaves his wife and young daughter to find new roots in a “new world.” The story unfolds with each page, some with full-page illustrations, and some with smaller comic book style panels. He embarks on an ocean voyage by ship and arrives at a place very similar to Ellis Island. Of course, being a typically poor immigrant, all does not go smoothly, but in the end his wife and child finally join him. In between are adventures that are comic, touching and sometimes harrowing. The “harrowing” part refers to dragons, giant men with blowtorches, flying “phone booths” and disgruntled bosses. The fantastical creatures and mechanical contraptions combine with familiar images of cultural oppression, the frustrations of trying to understand a new language and the simple joys of genuine hospitality.

This is a story to be experienced, so I don’t want to tell too much. That would detract from the element of wonder and surprise when the reader sees past the fantasy and underneath to a story that may be very similar to that of a relative, an immigrant that lives next door or maybe even yours.

The Art

The artwork itself is superb. Words cannot justly describe them. These rich, finely detailed drawings look to be done in pencil and ink in sepia tones, and remind me a little of the illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji, Polar Express, etc.). After a while, I forgot I was looking at drawings and felt as if I was watching a movie as I carefully studied the subtle expressions on the faces of the characters through each adventure. The author explains at the end in his “Artist’s Note” of his four years of research and of the historical resources used as inspiration – many from Ellis Island.

A picture really can tell a thousand words. I recommend this book to older children (10 and up), as well as to adults. Younger children would probably not understand some of the complexities of the story, as well as be disturbed by some images (for example, a battleground with skeletons). Those who can understand the story can enjoy the fantasy, plus learn something of what it means to immigrate. This book helped me to appreciate more of what my grandparents endured as well as my next-door neighbors from El Salvador.

Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (October 1, 2007)