Description
Book Synopsis''I still remember arriving in the city for the first time... It wasn''t easy... But here, London, is my home.''
Yumiko is a young Japanese woman who has made London her home. She has a job, a boyfriend; Japan seems far away. Then, out of the blue, her brother calls to tell her that her father has died in a mountaineering accident.
Yumiko returns to Tokyo for the funeral and finds herself immersed in the rituals of Japanese life and death and confronting a decision she hadn't expected to have to make.
Just So Happens is a graphic novel by a young artist and storyteller of rare talent. Fumio Obata's drawing, in particular, is marvellous in its power and delicacy.
Trade ReviewJust So Happens feels so richly intimate... [Obata] is a talent to watch. I like his elegant, understated drawings, which hint at the manga stories he must have read as a boy. Bullet trains, Shinto temples, shopping malls, sushi restaurants: he does them all beautifully. His storytelling, too, is crazily accomplished. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *
A beautiful and observant graphic novel. -- James Smart * Guardian *
This is a book you may want to study, a book of inflection and nuance, a delicate, thoughtful book that entrances the eyes and compels the old grey matter. * Bookmunch *
A powerful story dealt with a deft brush in hand. * Monocle *
Told with great care and dignity... The illustrations reflect the mood of the story perfectly, creating a sense of movement and transition which mirrors Yumiko's journey. -- Vicki Bartram * UK Press Syndication *
