Wordless graphic novels like The Arrival by Shaun Tan prove that a story can successfully be presented with just images. The Arrival is the tale of a man who immigrates to a distant and foreign land in search of money, prosperity, and a better future for his family which he leaves behind. He is forced to leave his country because of a menacing presence symbolized as a shadow of a monster's tail.
The story is very similar to many immigrants's stories and to their struggles and confusions in reaching a foreign land for the first time. The indecipherable and weird symbols Tan presents to the reader are his attempt to show how an immigrant feels and sees the world.
The Arrival works well because the sequence of events are clear and captivating. Every single square is so interesting and well drawn that it keeps you glued to the book and makes you wonder what is going to happen next. I think the lack of words adds an extra element to the book because it makes the reader use his imagination and play the story out in his/her mind.
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