49 DAYS

A young woman embarks on a journey to an unknown destination in this debut about grief and life after loss.

“There’s some weird shit happening out here,” Kit thinks as she finds herself alive after experiencing yet another seemingly fatal accident. Each morning, Kit checks her watch and her map and walks, until something—a rushing tide, slippery boulders, a falling branch—halts her progress. She wakes up unharmed the following day, and the routine repeats itself. Kit’s happy-go-lucky demeanor matches the pleasant childhood memories that punctuate her days, but as time passes, her frustration grows, and the memories increasingly become tinged with regret. In a concurrent storyline, grieving family members surrounded by reminders of the one they lost try to resume normal life. Readers will piece together the clues before Kit realizes what’s happening, but that knowledge won’t diminish the impact of the reveal, which is dramatic in its visual simplicity. Throughout the book, Lee’s unfussy artwork—bold, black line art paired with monochromatic shading—effortlessly conveys movement and emotion, while page turns and two-page spreads are used to great effect in creating mood and suspense. The depth of emotion portrayed here will resonate with any reader who has experienced loss. The characters are cued as Korean American. An author’s note explains the Buddhist concept of bardo, a temporary state between life and rebirth, from which the book takes inspiration.

A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath, shown from both sides.