The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguye

 

 Reviewed by Ambrea

Tiến loves fairy tales.  For him, reading fairy tales isn’t just a way to pass time, it’s a common language that helps to unite him and his parents, who are both Vietnamese immigrants living in America.  Fairy tales are a lifeline, a way to connect, when he feels like his parents can’t understand him or what he’s experiencing.  For Tiến and his mother, Helen, fairy tales are a bridge to bring together their stories, a road map to help them find their own happily-ever-after.

 

I picked up a copy of The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen at my local used bookstore, because, I’ll admit, I was smitten by the cover.  I loved the imagery of the mermaid and the jewel-bright, vibrant green color of the cover.  More importantly, after flipping through the first few pages, I knew I couldn’t possibly leave without it, because the illustrations were beautiful.

 

I instantly fell in love with Nguyen’s graphic novel:  I loved the characters and the story and the artwork and the color scheme—oh, I adored the colors in The Magic Fish.  I especially enjoyed how the author used color to distinguish between the different parts of the story:  purple/blue panels for fairy tales; yellow for Helen’s stories (the past); and pink/red for Tiến’s stories (the present).  It gave the book a clarity I liked.

I also appreciated how Nguyen used each fairy tales to reflect the individual experiences of the characters.  For instance, when Tiến shares the story of Allerleirauh, the artwork is decidedly more westernized, because he grew up in America; when Helen learns the story of Tấm and Cám and, finally, shares the Little Mermaid, it leans heavily on Vietnamese styles.  It was a lovely detail, I thought.

Although the artwork is a critical element of The Magic Fish, the storytelling helps to make this graphic novel truly wonderful.  I loved how the author weaved together separate stories—Helen’s memories, Tiến’s experiences, their shared fairy tales—into one cohesive book, and I enjoyed seeing how the fairy tales were able to bring Tiến and Helen closer together.

It was so heart-warming and lovely and beautiful—and, honestly, I don’t think I have enough good things to say about this book.