Book Review: The Adoption by Zidrou and Arno Monin

The Adoption
by Zidrou (writer) and Arno Monin (artist) and Jeremy Melloul (translator) (741.5 Zid)

At first glance, I figured this graphic novel by Belgians Zidrou (writer) and Arno Monin (artist) was going to be a typical sentimental feel-good story. The cover sums up that impression — crusty old grandfatherly Gabriel faces off against adorable waif Qinaya, and you presume the story is about how an old white guy comes to love the little dark-skinned girl his children have adopted.

 

Don’t be misled — that is part of this complex story, but only part, and not the most important part. In a nutshell, retired Belgian butcher Gabriel does find it initially hard to connect when his forty-something son and wife adoption a little girl in Peru following a devastating earthquake that has left hundreds dead, including little Qinaya’s parents. In the first half of this two-part graphic novel, Gabriel does go through the growing pains of a new relationship and does come to love his incomprehensibly cute new granddaughter. That’s what makes the second half of this story the most important — when it turns out Gabriel’s son cut some corners in the adoption process and actually kidnapped Qinaya, whose parents turn out to be alive. In the second half of this story, Gabriel travels to Peru, first to see Qinaya one last time, but also in a voyage of personal growth and discovery, that leads him back to Belgium and a chance to mend some fences in his family.

 

The artwork in The Adoption is absolutely phenomenal, from the highly detailed and expressive characters, to the well-realized geography — both up close and in scenic backdrops. The storyline is emotional and I challenge any reader not to be affected by the twists and turns.

 

Highly recommended!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The House by Paco Roca, Paul at Home by Michel Rabagliati.]

[ publisher’s official The Adoption web page ] | [ one of many Zidrou author pages for this Belgian writer ] [ official Arno Monin Instagram feed ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Instant Family

Instant Family
[DVD Instant]

This one is a mild, family, comedic drama, with occasional forays into serious social commentary and occasional descents into almost slapstick comedy. Mark Wahlburg and Rose Byrne play Pete and Ellie, a married couple with busy lives, who’ve never gotten around to have kids of their own. A series of comical incidents, and family/peer pressures, lead them down the path towards becoming foster parents. But instead of a single youth child to help provide a stable home for, they end up taking on the challenge of raising three siblings — sarcastic teenager Lizzy, accident-prone pre-teen Juan, and precocious but emotionally temperamental Lita.

Instant Family is funny, with a sentimental touch. The entire cast is quite excellent, particularly Isabela Merced as teenager Lizzy, who’s had to serve as a surrogate parent to her two young siblings, and who desperately wants to be reunited with her drug-addicted biological mother. Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro provide extreme comic relief as two welfare workers who put Pete and Ellie through foster parent boot camp and remain advisors to the new family. This is a fun, poignant, inspiring little film — perhaps it glosses over the inherent difficulties and challenges in becoming foster parents a bit in search of its humor, but it definitely has its heart in the right place, and leaves you feeling “up” by the end.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Instant Family web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Instructions Not Included

Instructions Not Included
[DVD Instructions]

Until a couple of weeks ago, I was not aware of Eugenio Derbez, a fixture in Mexican TV and movie culture. Now that I know of him, I wish I had discovered him sooner. He directed, co-produced and co-wrote this lovely little film. “No Se Aceptan Devoluciones” (No Returns, in its original Spanish) was released in 2013 to an eventual $100 million box office take. Derbez plays the main character, Valentin, whose father repeatedly tried to toughen him up as a young boy by various scary methods, which Valentin came to greatly resent but then ultimately value. As an adult, he is living a carefree life in Acapulco, hooking up with as many pretty young women as he can until one of them shows back up on his doorstep with an 18-month old baby that she says is his. On the premise that she needs to go pay the cab driver, the woman, Julie, takes off, leaving little Maggie in Valentin’s arms. When he realizes the situation he tries to follow her to Los Angeles but loses track of her. By chance, he gets into a situation where an LA movie director hires him to be a stuntman and this turns out to be a lucrative way to provide for his instant daughter, especially since he doesn’t speak English. A few years pass and Maggie and Valentin are not only a family but best buddies, on set and off. In order to quell her longing for a mother who abandoned her — divorce is the reason given — Valentin contrives letters from Julie to Maggie that tell about all kinds of exploits wherein she sometimes saves the world from disaster. Then, out of the blue, Julie reappears and wants to connect with the daughter she gave away. Maggie is thrilled but Valentin is understandably upset. It seems the two parents work out an arrangement but then a short time later Julie sues for full custody. With the odds stacked against him, Valentin speaks from his heart about his love for Maggie and the judge rules in his favor. Desperate, Julie requests a paternity test, and things become even more complicated.

All of the acting is fine and the chemistry between Derbez and Loreta Peralta, who plays 7-year-old Maggie, is wonderful. And props go to Daniel Raymont as the movie director/friend. This is a funny, engaging and thoughtful story about how something terrible can turn into something terrific. (This edition is in Spanish with English subtitles available in the sub-menu).

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Three Men and a Baby (1987), The Game Plan (2007), Paper Moon (1973) or Overboard]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Instructions Not Included Facebook page ]

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: My Brother's Husband, Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 1.
by Gengoroh Tagame [741.5 Tag]

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 1. is a Japanese graphic novel about a single father and his daughter — Yaichi and Kana — who take in a special guest. Mike is the Canadian whom Yaichi’s twin brother Ryoji married. Mike is visiting Japan after Ryoji’s death to see the places and meet the people Ryoji told him stories about.

As readers, we see things from Yaichi’s perspective as he struggles with his own prejudices against gay people and guilt over not fully accepting his brother. Kana is the voice of youth, excited to learn about her foreign uncle’s strange taste in food and show off her own country. Kana’s questions about homophobia stir her father into rethinking his own views farther.

This is a funny and touching manga volume about loss, more than one kind of “non-traditional” family arrangement, cultural exchange, and positive fatherhood. It’s billed as an “all ages” comic, but the use of a “WTF!” early on as well as the focus on internal consideration over action in some sections makes it most appropriate for either middle & high school readers OR for parents of kids around that age. It’s great for young people worried about coming out. I would even suggest it to people with a lot of anti-gay prejudice. I don’t see how anyone could get through this story without both laughing and crying along the way. I put Volume 2 on hold immediately!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill, or The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang.]

[ publisher’s official My Brother’s Husband Vol 1 web site ] | [ Wikipedia page for Gengoroh Tagame ]

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!