The Arrival

Product Description

Top Reviews

This Work is a Revelation
by Dennis the Menace (5 out of 5 stars)
March 17, 2019

Beautiful, dreamy, and soulful, this book is a revelation.
Having been exposed to European graphic novels at an early age, my life long affair was instilled early on, and continued to develop as an adult. Americans are still just starting to discover this world, and would be stunned at the huge variety available in any French or Belgian bookstore. Not just for children, but regarded as a serious art form, the graphic novel is so much more than the rag pulp comics commonly available in the USA.
"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan fits none of these established models. It has no written text, but none are needed as the drawings are wonderful in depicting the story, and effective in evoking the emotions to be "drawn" in.

It is the story of a man who is forced to leave his bleak homeland to seek opportunities in a new world. The new world is so strange and alien to him that he struggles to find footing, but eventually he begins to adapt.

The stylistically timeless mono-toned drawings are gorgeously shaded. The faces are very expressive. The work is presented like an old leather bound book. The pages have virtual weathering.

This book will resonate with anyone who understands the challenges of immigration, but also, as a masterpiece of illustration art.

Absolutely a must in your library.
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An exercise in empathy - too wonderful for words!
by Zhimbo (5 out of 5 stars)
February 5, 2016

I knew the basic idea of The Arrival, that it was in some way about the immigrant experience, but I had no idea about the approach. And what an approach! I don't know if you would call it metaphorical, magical realist, surreal, or what, but the effect is amazing. There are things here you just won't understand very well, being completely outside of your experience...and this works far, far better than any literal, historically accurate "immigrant story" could, by placing you in the subjective viewpoint of a 'stranger in a strange land'.

That's the big scale strategy. But the small scale approach, on a panel-by-panel basis, is equally wonderful. Even before the story really kicks in, and we still seem firmly grounded reality, the first three pages had me hooked. The art is beautiful, and visual story-telling clever and richly emotional.

This is really special. It does require a certain commitment and attention to follow along and place yourself in your story, so it may or may not be a good "children's book", but that would depend on the child.
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Simply fantastic
by LA Reader (5 out of 5 stars)
May 20, 2017

Spectacularly beautiful book that tells the story of immigrating to a new land with strange, unfamiliar customs and creatures. Shaun Tan is a master illustrator with a unique way of seeing the world. There are no words in this book and none are needed. Amazing.
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Luminous, Soulful Masterpiece
by Candace D. Jordan (5 out of 5 stars)
January 31, 2016

I was so anxious for this book to arrive in the mail; I knew it was going to be something magical, just from the few illustrations I had seen. The Arrival is one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen, on several different levels. I paged through slowly, savoring each image. Tan often uses a series of small images to convey a thought or a feeling--each is a masterpiece. The book does what so much great art does--it captures the ineffable. It speaks without words, and conveys the universal human experience. The haunting, luminous illustrations seem to cut straight to the heart. It actually brought me to tears, as I recognized in Tan's imagery the small and large moments that animate the soul. I would give it 6 stars if I could.
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I happened to see this book when traveling--in a bookshop ...
by B. Kerr (5 out of 5 stars)
September 30, 2016

I happened to see this book when traveling--in a bookshop in Cologne, Germany. It contains only pictures, and I was riveted to the spot as I "read" through the frames. When I returned to the states, I read more about the book and the author--and ordered the book. I'm still in awe of how these haunting pictures speak to the alienation that immigrants (or others who are plunged into a totally new situation) experience--all without words. My grandfather was an immigrant from Poland in the late 19th century--how I wish I could show him this book.
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A Lovely Wordless Text
by Dr J Reads,Top Contributor: Poetry Books (5 out of 5 stars)
July 27, 2017

A beautiful, engaging (and diverse) way to tell a story. A great wordless resource when working with a variety of students, and I great "read" all its own for interested readers.
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Beautiful book, compelling story with no words
by Kindle Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
February 24, 2015

This is a fascinating story with no words. To say "the pages are overflowing with art and interesting details to capture your imagination" feels like an understatement. I pick this book up and browse through the pages in no particular sequence just to absorb the images. My son has sat with the book and followed the story from beginning to end. This book powerfully conveys emotion. This is another book that I am thrilled to own, thrilled to share, and I am thrilled that there is someone making gorgeous books such as this! The actual book and binding feel very nice and substantial, which make it not only a pleasure to own but also a pleasure to give.
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Dreamlike Epic With No Words
by Richard C. Geschke (5 out of 5 stars)
December 16, 2009

Have you ever wakened from a dream so real that you were actually shocked when you woke up? Upon further thought as you think about your recent dream episode, things were not as they should be. Such aberrations as flying boats and buildings that seems to be in New York City but possess a strange combination of oriental and occidental architecture. This appears to be familiar territory but in the same breath also very strange and different.
Welcome to Shaun Tans' epic dreamlike journey in "The Arrival" a story of a man leaving his home and family to migrate to a new world. The artist goes into an explicit graphic narrative to describe the strangeness of immigrating to a new land. One gets the sense that this planned migration has been instigated by a government of totalitarian ilk as evidenced by the Artist's drawing of a shadow of a "tale of a dragon" which gives evidence of sinister governance.
The Author takes us into a world of epic art deco like scenery which is neither totally western nor eastern; in fact I see traces of Native American Indian influence. Our hero has to deal with a culture which is strange and different and we learn how he copes with dealing with people in a new land. His final hope is to finally reunite with his family in a land which he finds to be a refuge to many people from far and away.
This graphic depiction shows how an artist can convey an idea using simple pencil drawings and not using one word. Shaun Tan's art is not impressionistic, however the theme and structure of his story in the world of graphic literature is indeed impressionistic. This novel should never be thought of as a child's picture book. It uses advanced imagery and a high level nuanced story line using no prose. In reality it is the art of mime in the world of graphic imagery which in and of itself creates its own unique genre. Fanastic! 5 Stars!!
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Definite Destination
by Michelle (5 out of 5 stars)
January 26, 2010

Stunningly illustrated I was awestruck by Tan's artistic ability. Immediately taken by the beauty of the story he'd presented I'd say my favorite pieces were those that showed the other-worldy almost ethereal feel of the locale. A land of sweeping loveliness the buildings and creatures that comprised it's inhabitants weren't to be feared but rather adored. Which is exactly what I did.

Not to be outdone, the story Tan wrote in accompaniment is wonderful as well. I could feel the emotions so clearly displayed on the young father's face. From the trepidation of leaving his family behind to the jubilation of their arrival to meet with him in a new land I felt every beat he did. Traveling from the safety and security of his home and family into the unknown abyss of a new life the loneliness jumped off the page as the man searched for a job and made new acquaintances.

Though I've not had much experience with this genre, I imagine that this is what any great graphic novel should do. Move the reader to feel and experience. If this is the case than Tan has certainly done so with The Arrival.

All in all, I'm excited to have been introduced to the world of graphic novels in such an exemplary way. I'm looking forward to not only reading more of Tan's work but also other authors as well. I would encourage all to pick up this wonderful book and place it out for everyone to see.
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Amazingly, Shaun Tan Shows Us Our Own World Through a Newcomer's Eyes
by David Crumm (5 out of 5 stars)
February 4, 2008

"The Arrival" is a genre-connecting hardback picture book that took Shaun Tan four years to create based on narratives of immigrants coming to the U.S., combined with visual references he studied from antique post cards, historical photographs and even paintings and etchings by earlier artists.
This is a very, very carefully designed work that may remind readers of the stunning experience the first time you read "Maus: A Survivor's Tale," the famous graphic novel about the Holocaust by Art Spiegelman. (In fact, Spiegelman's praise for "The Arrival" appears on the back cover of the book, calling this "something new and exceptionally worthy.")
"The Arrival" tells the story of a young father who leaves his wife and daughter behind in their impoverished and dangerous homeland to journey to a distant city based on the New York City of an earlier era. Like millions of immigrants over the past two centuries, he is the patriarch of a family bravely going on ahead to establish a home for his family in a new world.
Many of the beautifully rendered images in the book are straight out of Ellis Island historical materials. HOWEVER, the stunning innovation Tan adds to the story is the way he moves from those historical snapshots of the immigrant experience -- to a wildly off-kilter New York City in which the Statue of Liberty looks oddly like a pair of welcoming giants in exotic costumes. New York's pigeons become strangely beautiful flying fish. The English language of advertisements, newspaper headlines and grocery store packaging becomes a bizarrely cryptic new alphabet that we can't quite understand.
Common American foods take on exotic, fanciful shapes and textures. Even ordinary American pets become exotic animals that seem to have fallen to earth from a science fiction novel.
Are you glimpsing the point of this visual slight of hand? As we follow the story of this immigrant -- we SEE America through the eyes of an immigrant. The strangeness of our skylines, our symbols, our language, our foods, our pets, our architecture -- actually looks strange to us, as readers.
This is what makes this book ideal for reading over and over with young readers -- spotting the dozens of subtle ways Tan twists and turns elements of the tale to help us not only empathize with the immigrant and his family -- but to actually feel his disorientation as we read the book!
Some chapters of the book are very dark. As immigrants meet in this new land, across the cultural and religious chasms that may separate them, they share stories of danger and oppression in their homelands. One immigrant tells a horrifying story of a war that left him crippled and homeless. Another immigrant tells a tale of what seems to be ethnic cleansing in his homeland.
Once again, Tan's imagery is rooted in stories we know -- but he enlarges and re-imagines the visual grammar of these stories until the ethnic cleansing becomes a terrifying tale of gigantic, faceless technicians with flame throwers who tromp through the streets of a village.
Although the story becomes dark at several points, there is nothing in the book that is more troubling than scenes in "The Chronicles of Narnia." And each moment of darkness throws into dramatic relief a moment of great joy as the immigrants realize how much they are thankful for in their new community. There's even a strange kind of Thanksgiving dinner at one point in the book.
Wherever you live in the world, as you read this, "The Arrival" is the story of someone you know -- a friend, a neighbor, a relative -- or perhaps this is your story captured vividly in a new form for a new century.

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