First of all, special thanks to Tukunjil Nayeera for recommending me this wonderful book.



The Arrival is a wordless graphic-novel that tells the tale of an immigrant father who leaves his family to work in a foreign land. The story is told in the form of sequential art with the mood being set with varying degrees of sepia-tone colored illustrations in multiple frames and panels.



The story takes place in a strange fantasy realm, where the hero immigrates to a different place to support his family. The struggles of the immigrant is showcased just using art and wordless storytelling. The purpose of the novel is to generate empathy among readers for the immigrants and refugees who have been frowned-upon in a world ruled by bigotry, by giving the readers a glimpse of the bigger picture.



Shaun Tan sets the mood of each scene with sepia-tone color schemes, ranging from grayscale to bright gold. The illustrations are reminiscent of aged photos(daguerreotypes), and often feature realistic-looking humans in abstract and bizarre environments. The environments resemble a combination of futuristic and old-fashioned aesthetics. Tan's process was one that used real-life models to create a storyboard. He also shot pictures in his garage, using a video camera and empty boxes to create lighting.

Highly recommended for readers of all ages.