Unsure about The Arrival

The Library of Congress summary of The Arrival is in tiny type at the front of the book.  It reads “In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.”  That simple description is accurate, and it would be one way I could summarize this book if I had to.  If pressed for further description, I might give up and simply hand a copy of the book over.

My experience with this text has left me a little unsettled and has me asking questions one after the next. Usually, I’m better about organizing my thoughts, but I’ll bullet point them here.  Some thoughts and questions on The Arrival:

• I posed this question on Twitter, but I’ll repeat it here — if a book has no words do we call the experience of interacting with the book reading?  Is a better term “viewing?”
• Shaun Tan’s artwork is detailed, fanciful, interesting, and amazing.  I enjoyed his novel in that way.  Should this book be part of a Language Arts class or would it fit better in a Visual Arts class?  It might be interesting to see if faculty members  from both areas could team teach The Arrival.
• Is this book science fiction?  Fantasy?  An allegory about the immigrant experience where people feel as though they have entered another world?  Something else?
• I’ve enjoyed graphic novels like Maus, The Dark Knight Returns, and Watchmen.  Of course, those three all had words.  I had no doubts in my mind about story, plot, characters, etc. with them. The Arrival left me wanting to name everything — the characters, the old country, the new city.  Even simply calling something “new” and “old” is assigning a designation.  I’m not sure Shaun Tan would or would not want me giving a nickname to the pet-like lizard-dog-with gills creatures.
• How does a teacher approach a wordless “text” as far as teaching the book and creating assignments for students?
• At what age (reading level?) is appropriate for The Arrival?  It’s a book for high school students here in Omaha.  My wife borrowed a copy for me from her English Department.

And here’s a short video of Shaun Tan talking about how he works —

It takes an extraordinary amount of time to read a book you don’t enjoy

I thought about posting more on The Wednesday Wars, but I don’t have much to add.  It was a book I ended up liking enough (it was a pleasant read) but found disappointing because I thought its depiction of one seventh grader’s life was over the top.

Still, I would read WW many times over, gladly, rather than try and go through Malinda Lo’s Ash.  I want to be fair and speak plainly about my views on this young adult fantasy book.  I looked at a couple of online review sites and, yes, the book does have fans that appreciate the author’s way of building a completely different world, her take on re-imagining a Cinderella-like story, and the depiction of a same-sex relationship.  I’m glad that Lo has an audience that is supportive.

My view is similar to many of the reviews I looked over.  I thought the main character, Ash, was flat and created little interest.  As far as painting a new world of magic, faeries, myth, etc,, I don’t think I’m a good judge.  I’m not a fantasy fan, and I found the long-winded descriptions and explanations of lost history overblown, pretentious, and (at times) ridiculous.

So far, the reading for this course has surprised me.  I thought Bomb was as good a nonfiction book as any adult-focused history text.  The Hunger Games was great storytelling . . . and it builds a new world where a female character drives the story.  Ash isn’t the right fit for the type of reader I am.

I like intelligent storytelling, cleverness, wit.  Ash (and I’ll stress this again, for me) is heavy, brooding, often obvious, and has not one breath of humor.

I’d add that, I think of myself as a well-read person.  I have favorite writers and authors I can’t bear.  My list of authors I deeply enjoy is long.  Some of the ones I don’t connect with?  I’ve tried to read Melville’s Moby Dick four times.  Beth Streeter Aldrich is an author that bores me.  I loathe Ford Maddox Ford.  I run away from the books of Henry James.

I can’t imagine myself picking up a Malinda Lo book ever again.  Well, once I finish reading the last 60 pages of Ash.