Zack Smith, on the weblog "newsarama" interviews Shaun Tan as his new graphic novel, The Arrival, makes a big splash in the USA.
I always felt that the central idea -- of a wordless migrant story set in an imaginary country -- was very strong and simple, but I often worried about how it would be received given that it is fundamentally strange and ambiguous. So it's been extremely gratifying to discover how many readers have felt a great sense of empathy with the story, especially older generation migrants, and feel no need to question the unusual form. Although the book was originally published in Australia, there are many references to the immigrant experience at Ellis Island in the early twentieth century, and I'm hoping that the book will have a special resonance for US readers.[Link via Blog of a Bookslut.]
