Starred review from February 20, 2017
The story is as simple as they come: Hong draws himself and his wife, both struggling artists, going about daily life after they move from overcrowded, overpriced Seoul to a run-down house on a forested mountain. But a tale is in the telling, and this irresistible graphic novel turns every mundane moment into an adventure. Hong’s art suggests an unpredictable mash-up of comic strips, indie comics, and animated cartoons like Steven Universe. When Hong tries to concentrate on drawing, his head cracks open and distractions pop out; when he’s frustrated, his characters climb out of the pages and harangue him. As winter drags on and money runs out, life on the mountain becomes less idyllic, but husband and wife approach every challenge as allies in a possibly doomed cause. Acclaimed American cartoonist Hellen Jo provides a loose, natural translation.
July 1, 2017
Fed up with the noisy hubbub of Seoul, manhwa artist Hong and his wife, an aspiring children's book illustrator, move to a rural mountaintop where they can live cheaply in almost complete isolation. Unfortunately, Hong's life and work ethic don't instantly become better just because he's moved out of the city. As winter rolls in and money runs out, Hong is forced to come to terms with the expectations he placed on himself as an artist, as a husband, and as a man. The illustrations mirror Hong's emotional state: the car he dreams of owning, the food he eats, and especially the nature surrounding him are all drawn with loving detail, each more realistic than the next. But he and his wife are drawn in a loose, cartoonish style, their exaggerated expressions emphasizing her satisfaction with her new life and his increasingly deteriorating sense of self-worth. It's easy for almost anyone to find something to identify with in this story, and when Hong's epiphany comes, it's as beautiful as the mountainside in spring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)