The story itself bounces from the familiar to the fantastical, from the allegorical to the relatable and specific.
From stories of a group of friends at school figuring out the intense feelings among them, to the story of a princess susceptible to magic and flirting in grand settings with a dashing prince. The artwork in this story is gorgeous, capably bouncing from grounded teen sittings in the modern day to timeless kingdoms. It’s incredibly poignant and emotional, and Nguyen uses a vast and towering amount of narrative and visual talent to tell the story by weaving in a series of slightly-tweaked fairy tales that speak to the events in the current day. He wants to come out to his parents, but does not know the words in the language to do so. In its pages, readers will find a complex and emotional tale, which in summary is about a young boy who is the son of Vietnamese immigrants. The Magic Fish is somewhat clearly marketed to a teen or YA reader, featuring as it does a set of teen protagonist and a colorful cover and marketing tact. That’s all great, but as an adult reader, there was something that came late in the year that made it much more exciting for me - the release of The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. Given the excited critical reaction to these works, one might presume that in 2021 that number will end up being higher. I make that assumption because these publishers are rolling out rich and varied lines of youth-skewing stories (even if the actual audience for the books is perhaps more complex…which we’ll get into later).Ĭhief among these publishers and lines is Random House Graphic, which put out 23 books this year as part of what one might describe as a first wave. Publishers not traditionally prolific within the medium have launched lines of graphic books, presumably inspired by the vast sales numbers of juggernaut creators Raina Telgemeier and Dav Pilkey. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what-we can all have our own happy endings.By Zack Quaintance - It’s been an interesting few years for the graphic novel landscape. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through? Is there a way to tell them he’s gay? A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English.
But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together. Tiến loves his family and his friends…but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything.
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