Graphic Novel Review: 49 Days by Agnes Lee

Posted on May 16, 2024 at 7:52 am by Gene Ambaum

49 Days by Agnes Lee. Arthur A. Levine, 2024. 9781646143757. 352pp.

For forty-nine days, Kit roams what I’m going to call the outskirts of the afterlife. (In the Buddhist tradition, this is the period between death and rebirth, according to the text on the inside flap of the book.) Flashbacks show her and her umma and her siblings, and include them making kimchi and eating it fresh. There are also bits of the family and her friend Kevin mourning her passing. It’s unclear if Kit knows she’s dead or not for much of the book.

This is a wonderful graphic novel and one of the saddest books I’ve enjoyed. Part of the reason it works is that the illustrations and page layouts are super simple, and I read it so quickly I was able to just let it wash over me. And then I went back to admire Lee’s art and the way the story is put together.