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A review by reaperreads
Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto
5.0
Y'all might have noticed that I've been reading a lot of graphic novels lately.
A part of this is I set a lofty goal of reading 100 books this year, which will be the most books I've ever read in a year. Comics are quick to consume, so I figured I could get ahead if I plowed through a bunch in a short amount of time at the beginning of the year.
Another part of this is I have always wanted to read the perfect horror graphic novel. A much loftier goal. I feel like it must be possible--I have read so many jaw-droppingly good traditional horror novels, so simply add some illustrations and bada-bing bada-boom, you know? But this hunt has been far more arduous than I expected. The perfect horror graphic novel has been my white whale. My Arc. My Mothman.
But lo and behold, Hiromi Goto's Shadow Life emerged from the waves, desert, and forest.
Okay, it's not a horror graphic novel in the sense of spine-tingling fare. It's horror in the same way that Spirited Away is horror--there are cute, tiny, bloodsucking spirits, for example. And there are reluctant ghosts, searching yet static. There's one ghost in particular that actually did give me the creeps for a good chunk of the book, but even it was sympathetic in its own way.
All the supernatural bits I just mentioned are set-dressing and mood-setting mechanisms, and all are handled expertly to give thematic weight to the narrative (classic Hiromi Goto). The focus of the story is an old woman named Kumiko who knows it isn't her time to die. She escapes from a senior living home her daughters put her in and finds an apartment of her own . . . and doesn't tell her daughters where it is. Instead, she ignores their calls for the most part, occasionally checking in when it is right for her. Her priority is her independence in this phase of her life, and she'll protect it at all costs.
So when Death comes scratching at her door, a dusty shadow being that only Kumiko can see, she buys a vacuum. At a bargain, no less.
This book follows Kumiko's attempts at solitary living, her drive to escape the spirits hounding her, and her journey discovering that nobody needs to face life or death alone, no matter their age.
What made it perfect was of course merely what made it perfect for me.
Kumiko's queerness and comfort in her own body were so refreshing to read (we got bi rep, folks!). Her coping with non-recent loss was also relatable--I don't think there's such a thing as "moving on" unless you read it as a gerund, an ongoing action (like how a smoker is always "quitting," and I say that with all the empathy of a former smoker and someone who has had their heart broken). After losing her husband to a car accident many years before the start of this novel, Kumiko not only knows what it means to need more time on earth but also how to make the most of the time she has. I didn't know how badly I needed to read a character like this--I literally laughed and cried reading Shadow Life.
And I can't end this review without praising Ann Xu. The art perfectly carried and enhanced the personality of Kumiko. It is a more abstracted style than other comics I've read recently, which rely heavily on stylized visuals, instead allowing negative space to communicate both serenity and loneliness depending on the context. It's truly lovely.
As you can see, I can't recommend Shadow Life highly enough. I would go to the end of the earth for Kumiko, and I demand that A24 adapt her story immediately.
For fans of: Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Eighth Grade (2018), Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith, Chorus of Mushrooms by Hiromi Goto, Beulah by Christi Nogle, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
A part of this is I set a lofty goal of reading 100 books this year, which will be the most books I've ever read in a year. Comics are quick to consume, so I figured I could get ahead if I plowed through a bunch in a short amount of time at the beginning of the year.
Another part of this is I have always wanted to read the perfect horror graphic novel. A much loftier goal. I feel like it must be possible--I have read so many jaw-droppingly good traditional horror novels, so simply add some illustrations and bada-bing bada-boom, you know? But this hunt has been far more arduous than I expected. The perfect horror graphic novel has been my white whale. My Arc. My Mothman.
But lo and behold, Hiromi Goto's Shadow Life emerged from the waves, desert, and forest.
Okay, it's not a horror graphic novel in the sense of spine-tingling fare. It's horror in the same way that Spirited Away is horror--there are cute, tiny, bloodsucking spirits, for example. And there are reluctant ghosts, searching yet static. There's one ghost in particular that actually did give me the creeps for a good chunk of the book, but even it was sympathetic in its own way.
All the supernatural bits I just mentioned are set-dressing and mood-setting mechanisms, and all are handled expertly to give thematic weight to the narrative (classic Hiromi Goto). The focus of the story is an old woman named Kumiko who knows it isn't her time to die. She escapes from a senior living home her daughters put her in and finds an apartment of her own . . . and doesn't tell her daughters where it is. Instead, she ignores their calls for the most part, occasionally checking in when it is right for her. Her priority is her independence in this phase of her life, and she'll protect it at all costs.
So when Death comes scratching at her door, a dusty shadow being that only Kumiko can see, she buys a vacuum. At a bargain, no less.
This book follows Kumiko's attempts at solitary living, her drive to escape the spirits hounding her, and her journey discovering that nobody needs to face life or death alone, no matter their age.
What made it perfect was of course merely what made it perfect for me.
Kumiko's queerness and comfort in her own body were so refreshing to read (we got bi rep, folks!). Her coping with non-recent loss was also relatable--I don't think there's such a thing as "moving on" unless you read it as a gerund, an ongoing action (like how a smoker is always "quitting," and I say that with all the empathy of a former smoker and someone who has had their heart broken). After losing her husband to a car accident many years before the start of this novel, Kumiko not only knows what it means to need more time on earth but also how to make the most of the time she has. I didn't know how badly I needed to read a character like this--I literally laughed and cried reading Shadow Life.
And I can't end this review without praising Ann Xu. The art perfectly carried and enhanced the personality of Kumiko. It is a more abstracted style than other comics I've read recently, which rely heavily on stylized visuals, instead allowing negative space to communicate both serenity and loneliness depending on the context. It's truly lovely.
As you can see, I can't recommend Shadow Life highly enough. I would go to the end of the earth for Kumiko, and I demand that A24 adapt her story immediately.
For fans of: Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Eighth Grade (2018), Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith, Chorus of Mushrooms by Hiromi Goto, Beulah by Christi Nogle, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers