The first graphic novel I read from my haul at New York Comic-Con. This book is a dark joy, a modern Western set in rural China. It follows Deshi, a put-upon second son, as he travels the countryside as he searches for a recently deceased woman who can "marry" his brother, who died single, and keep him happy in the afterlife. He meets Lily, running from home to avoid getting strong-armed into marriage to a local landowner. Pursued by a grave robber and an angry mob stirred up by Lily's father, Deshi still needs to find the right woman to lay down dead by his brother's side...and has the uncomfortable feeling that it's the living woman he's riding with.

There's a lot of gallows humor in this book, and a lot of unexpected beauty, as well. Novgorodoff's figures are cartoonish and fluid, but she overlays her linework with watercolors that are, in some cases, literally haunting. This is a terrific read, and Novgorodoff is a talent to watch.

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  • I see this is published by First Second, so it should be readily available. I'll have to select it for my library to purchase. Looks really interesting.

  • It's really cool -- and a 2014 release, so they definitely have it in stock. I think you'll like it a lot.

  • Clever cover as well. You've sold me.

  • Cool! I don't think you'll be disappointed.
  • It's arrived, and my wife grabbed it first. I'll get to it after she's done.

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