49 Days

by Agnes Lee

Overview

Day 1

Gotta get up. Gotta keep moving. This map – it says I have to cross over here. Wait, what’s that…?

And so begins a graphic novel story unlike any other: 49 Days. In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. Here in this book, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind.

Agnes Lee has captivated readers across the world for years with her illustrations for the New York Times Metropolitan Diary. Her debut graphic novel is an unforgettable story of death, grief, love, and how we keep moving forward.


P R A I S E

★ “49 Days is an unusual, profoundly moving graphic novel whose elegance belies its complexity and whose emotional impact only grows upon rereading.”
—BookPage (starred)

★ “A gorgeous, resonating, even mystical creation with little text, overflowing with unsaid feelings... Gently, nudgingly, Lee brilliantly intertwines the past, present, and future.”
—Booklist (starred)

★ “A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath.”
—Kirkus (starred)

“Middle and high school readers will relate to the universal experiences of love, loss, and family tradition.”
—School Library Journal

“Expressive, fluid…an exemplar of what it means to trust the audience.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A deeply moving exploration of life after death, making peace with regret and life’s inevitabilities, and learning how to move on.”
—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646143740
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	352,760
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Agnes Lee grew up in the Bay Area and is a graduate of Art Center College of Design. She is a former Chronicle Books fellow and was an Art Director at The New York Times for several years where she began illustrating the Metropolitan Diary column. She now lives in Portland, OR with her partner Eric and their cat Muta. In addition to art, she loves the outdoors and playing ultimate frisbee. Agnes can be found at ahjlee.com.

49 Days is her debut.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2024

Invoking a Korean Buddhist tradition stating that “a person’s soul remains in a state between life and rebirth for 49 days before they can move on to the next life,” debut creator Lee chronicles the journey of Korean American Kit, who wakes up on a beach and soon begins traveling toward an unknown destination. Kit’s first few attempts to leave the shore result in apparent death—via drowning, heat exhaustion, a tumble, and more—before she begins the cycle anew. As Kit becomes more adept in her survival skills, subsequent days see her journeying through mountain ranges and traipsing across rivers. Interspersed throughout Kit’s travels, which are rendered in ink and grayscale washes, are bright orange vignettes depicting recollections of her death and memories from her childhood as well as somber red-toned panels rendering scenes of her family—including her umma, younger brother Tae Soo, and older sister Sam—and friends processing their grief. With spare text and effective use of negative space, Lee crafts a deeply moving exploration of life after death, making peace with regret and life’s inevitabilities, and learning how to move on. Ages 12–up. Agent: Abigail Frank, Greenburger Assoc. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A thoughtful, contemplative book — a perfect synthesis with Agnes’ lovely artwork. 49 Days is an unforgettable story of death, grief, love, and how we keep moving forward." — Graphic Policy

“A beautiful and bittersweet tale.” – Sequential Tart

[STAR] “49 Days is an unusual, profoundly moving graphic novel whose elegance belies its complexity and whose emotional impact only grows upon rereading.” – BookPage

“A tale of grief, loss, love, and healing through a metaphysical journey of redemption and self-discovery.” – Horn Book

“Middle and high school readers will relate to the universal experiences of love, loss, and family tradition.” – School Library Journal

[STAR] “A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath.” – Kirkus (starred)

“Expressive, fluid…an exemplar of what it means to trust the audience.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A deeply moving exploration of life after death, making peace with regret and life’s inevitabilities, and learning how to move on.” – Publishers Weekly

[STAR] “A gorgeous, resonating, even mystical creation with little text, overflowing with unsaid feelings... Gently, nudgingly, Lee brilliantly intertwines the past, present, and future.”

“The illustrations are sparse as to be meditative, like taking deep breaths just to get to the next moment, which is how grieving feels. 49 Days shows that grief is a mountain to climb for the one who has to do it alone, and a painful journey for the people left behind. Readers will feel triumph and sadness at seeing Kit’s completion.” — Mochi Mag

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Gr 8 Up—The story of a lost soul on a journey through the afterlife. Startled awake on a wide stretch of beach, a young woman treks across sand and rocks, trying to get her bearings and find a way across the incoming tide, but she gets swallowed by the sea. Waking to the same predicament repeatedly in an endless purgatory, she always loses herself to the sea and regains consciousness again as the sole inhabitant of the beach. By day 20, she hits her breaking point after attempts to end this unreal existence prove useless. Utterly alone and helpless, she sits with memory and lets it overtake her, reliving the events that brought her here. Kit misses her family; her mother, siblings, and friends mourn in their own ways, reaching towards Korean tradition and the healing power of shared food and Buddhist prayer. Settling into acceptance, Kit discovers a boat to traverse the final stretch of her journey that culminates on the 49th day. This debut by The New York Times "Metropolitan Diary" illustrator is told in simple, bold lines and sparse words, reflecting pensive solitude and the isolation of grief. The story is meditative and cathartic but not ponderous or overwrought. Lee's deliberately enigmatic style means there is not a great deal of differentiation between the siblings, which makes distinguishing individual characters challenging at times. VERDICT Although the protagonist is a college student, middle and high school readers will relate to the universal experiences of love, loss, and family tradition. Recommended, especially for libraries that serve the AAPI community.—Rebecca Jung

School Library Journal

★ 2023-12-06
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. (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)

Kirkus Reviews