Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2024 *Starred Review* If you read the New York Times’ “Metropolitan Diary,” you’ll likely recognize artist Lee’s minimalist, often whimsical illustrations that have been gracing that section (and others) since 2018. Her graphic novel is a gorgeous, resonating, even mystical creation with little text, overflowing with unsaid feelings. Lee begins with poignant hints: “For Andrew . . . who I miss every day” and then a wordless opening spread with “Day 1” on the left, an empty beach on the right. A girl with a backpack is in constant motion, checking her watch, usually hurrying, occasionally cursing and struggling. Days pass, spurred on by a recurring worry of being late. The blues overlaid on black-and-white panels are replaced with brown, signaling a flashback to when she was younger, remembering another “mak-dae-gi” (stick, in Korean) she discovered on a fall outing with her mother and sister. More days pass, with occasional brown flashbacks that reveal a name—Kit—and the making of the Korean staple kimchi—sometimes delicious, sometimes the cause of frustration. When panels become tinged in sienna, a parallel narrative starts to weave into the passing days: a mother, sister, brother, and cat are in mourning, trying to move on with their lives. Gently, nudgingly, Lee brilliantly intertwines the past, present, and future together over 49 days. Lee’s author’s note reveals the foundation of her extraordinary debut. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.