This graphic novel is a perfect example of the mastery of simplicity. The artist takes the familiar threads of the immigrant story, fairy tales, and stories as the means of human connection, and spin them together into a masterpiece that tugs at the heartstrings and addresses difficult topics in a way that still remains accessible to middle-grade readers.
The main cast of characters are all very likable and the artist is able to make the fairy tales his own by fleshing out the archetypes and peopling the stories with characters of his own invention which freshens up the familiar tales. Nothing is overdone. The balance between the story within the story, and the narratives of our main characters is deftly maintained, and the parallels between the two narratives becomes a way to create mood and invoke allusions in the main story while maintaining the strict realism of the setting.
The script is not particularly complex or heavy to avoid overwhelming the small panels, but every single panel adds to our depth of understanding. For instance, the Dad and the friends only show up for 10 or 15 pages each, but the reader can very quickly grasp their character and how they relate with the MCs, and even more minor characters show their personality within the space of a few panels.
I hope there will be more to come from strung Le Nguyen in the future, because this is truly top-tier.
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From the Publisher
THE MAGIC FISH
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Reviews with images
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Magic is the right title for this book
Luxurious colored graphics illuminate the interwoven stories. In the past is the story of Hien and Vinh falling in love and fleeing from Vietnam in a boat, revealed in brown and tan hues. Three rich and surprising fables unfold in blue and purple. Peach and blood red emerge from these colors. The central story, set in 1998, is in soft red and pink, the story of “a boy and his mother figuring out how to express love without the benefit of an appropriate vernacular.”Thirteen-year-old Tien and his family live in the USA. Because his parents are recent immigrants, there are different languages within one family. Tien has a secret crush on handsome, athletic Julian. His hard-working parents Hien and Vinh don’t easily talk about feelings. With his mom grieving the loss of her own mother, Tien doesn’t want to ask for what he needs.Tien’s coming out story follows the first two fairy tales. Father Niles engages in “faith counseling” and at first discourages Tien from speaking the truth to his parents. With different languages, it’s sometimes hard to communicate. Hien changes the ending of the third fairy tale to show her son she loves and accepts him as he is. It’s a stunning and brave accomplishment from a gifted writer and artist.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Thirteen-year-old Tien and his family live in the USA. Because his parents are recent immigrants, there are different languages within one family. Tien has a secret crush on handsome, athletic Julian. His hard-working parents Hien and Vinh don’t easily talk about feelings. With his mom grieving the loss of her own mother, Tien doesn’t want to ask for what he needs.
Tien’s coming out story follows the first two fairy tales. Father Niles engages in “faith counseling” and at first discourages Tien from speaking the truth to his parents. With different languages, it’s sometimes hard to communicate. Hien changes the ending of the third fairy tale to show her son she loves and accepts him as he is. It’s a stunning and brave accomplishment from a gifted writer and artist.
Magic is the right title for this book
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Luxurious colored graphics illuminate the interwoven stories. In the past is the story of Hien and Vinh falling in love and fleeing from Vietnam in a boat, revealed in brown and tan hues. Three rich and surprising fables unfold in blue and purple. Peach and blood red emerge from these colors. The central story, set in 1998, is in soft red and pink, the story of “a boy and his mother figuring out how to express love without the benefit of an appropriate vernacular.”Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Thirteen-year-old Tien and his family live in the USA. Because his parents are recent immigrants, there are different languages within one family. Tien has a secret crush on handsome, athletic Julian. His hard-working parents Hien and Vinh don’t easily talk about feelings. With his mom grieving the loss of her own mother, Tien doesn’t want to ask for what he needs.
Tien’s coming out story follows the first two fairy tales. Father Niles engages in “faith counseling” and at first discourages Tien from speaking the truth to his parents. With different languages, it’s sometimes hard to communicate. Hien changes the ending of the third fairy tale to show her son she loves and accepts him as he is. It’s a stunning and brave accomplishment from a gifted writer and artist.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
Zoeeeee
Great quality book, and great story!
Reviewed in Canada on May 11, 2021
Zoeeeee
Reviewed in Canada on May 11, 2021
The artwork is a big seller to me, it’s fantastic. The colour schemes used throughout are such a treat for the eyes, and are never grating to look at.
Overall, the gay representation in the book was good too. It intertwined with the mother’s immigrant struggles, and I thought that it was nice that we got to see how the mother-son duo both struggled with their identities.
I did like the sentiment, and the representation, but I thought it would’ve been nice if we got to see a bit more of Tièn’s story after coming out. I still thought the ending was sweet, but I would’ve liked to see Tièn’s mother take time to come to terms with who her son is.
She accepted him rather quickly, which was just fine, but I thought the bio would’ve had more substance if they showed Tièn’s mother slowly learning.
Other than that, the book is still adorable and definitely a great lgbtq+ read. Another great story to add to my collection!
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