GRAPHIC NOVELS

Dog Days

Drawn & Quarterly. Oct. 2024. 212p. tr. from Korean by Janet Hong. ISBN 9781770467316. pap. $24.95. F
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Critically acclaimed cartoonist Gendry-Kim (The Naked Tree) explores the power of unexpected bonds in this touching story of a couple and their growing family of adopted dogs. The narrative follows Yuna, who reluctantly agrees to adopt a corgi puppy named Carrot at her grieving partner’s request. Despite Yuna’s lifelong aversion to dogs of all kinds and initial doubt that she’ll be able to stomach having a canine around the house, Yuna and Carrot quickly form an inseparable bond. In fact, Yuna comes to adore her new pet so dearly that when life in Seoul proves to cause the poor dog anxiety, she agrees to move from the bustling city to a quiet countryside, where she and her partner expand their family to include an abandoned puppy and a traumatized border collie. As their canine collection grows, Yuna and her partner face the challenges of middle age, maintaining a long-term relationship, coping with childlessness, and struggling with feelings of intense isolation following a series of hostile encounters with fellow members of their traditional, rural community.
VERDICT A deeply moving story about the healing power of companionship, rendered in strikingly evocative black-and-white brushwork.
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