The Undertaking of Lily Chen

by Danica Novgorodoff

In the mountains of Northern China ancient custom demands that every man have a wife to keep him company in the afterlife.

Deshi Li's brother is dead—and unmarried. Which means that Deshi must find him an eligible body before the week is up.

Lily Chen, sweet as a snakebite, needs money and a fast ride out of town.

Haunted by the gods of their ancestors and the expectations of the new world, Deshi and Lily embark on a journey with two very different destinations in mind.

They travel through a land where the ground is hard and the graves are shallow, where marriage can be murder and where Lily Chen is wanted—dead and alive.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Graphic Novels Comics, China

430 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

Danica Novgorodoff is a writer and New York Times best-selling illustrator. Her books include the graphic novels Slow Storm, The Undertaking of Lily Chen, Refresh Refresh, and Long Way Down, written by Jason Reynolds, and the picture books Alexander von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, and Environmental Pioneer; and Not a Cat, written by Winter Miller. Danica loves learning the names of plants, climbing mountains, and drawing animals.

Reviews

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art was stunning

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some parts of China some people believe that unmarried dead sons should be buried with a dead woman so they won’t be alone in the afterlife (I’m not sure if this is the case with unmarried dead daughters but given that Chinese society is patriarchal, I’m guessing no).

After his older brother is accidentally killed it falls to Deshi Li to bring him a corpse bride within a week - either by grave-robbing or through even darker channels like murder! His search sends him deep into the countryside where he happens across Lily Chen, a girl desperate to escape her dead-end town and make a go of it in Shanghai.

Danica Novgorodoff’s book is a pretty hefty volume checking in at 430+ pages but its still a quick read as there are a lot of silent pages and dialogue is kept to a minimum. The story itself is also fast-moving once Deshi’s quest is established with Deshi and Lily being chased by Lily’s dad, an unscrupulous grave-robber (though I don’t think there’s any other kind?) and time itself, as the clock ticks down to Deshi’s brother’s funeral.

Despite spending hundreds of pages with Deshi and Lily, Novgorodoff doesn’t really develop them much. They remain almost exactly the same as when we first see them and they’re quite archetypical - Deshi is the weedy young man who’s gotten pushed around his whole life and is now trying to be “a man”, and Lily is the headstrong female character you’ve seen a million times before.

I didn’t really felt like I got to know them and wasn’t really rooting for them to succeed even though I knew they would anyway. And that’s the other thing; besides the twists and turns of the story, you know exactly where it’ll end up the whole time. But it’s about the journey not the ending you say, and I agree, except the journey was fairly average really so a surprise ending could’ve really given it a boost.

The art is the best part of the book, from the awesome death’s head cover to the inspired choice of mixing pen, inks and watercolours throughout. It’s easy to see why entire pages and chapters are given over to the art alone when its this accomplished. The character designs are a bit rudimentary and sit awkwardly alongside the beautiful landscape art, but they were expressive when they needed to be and weren’t bad as to detract from the story.

What would’ve put this book over the top would be a strong main character, which I know Lily Chen was meant to be but she doesn’t fulfil that role. Half the time she seemed like a stupid opportunist which is hard to like. The art is wonderful while the story and characters are ok for the most part though I think most people will enjoy reading this regardless. The Undertaking of Lily Chen is a decent but flawed comic.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Some graphic novels are just perfect in every way - you can tell that they were done by a true artist (both illustrative and storytelling) and will follow you for a long time as you ponder what you've just read.

The Undertaking of Lily Chen is one of those books. American artist Danic Novgorodoff has creating a surreal yet thoroughly grounded story based in modern day China. The protagonist of the novel, Deshi, works at an airbase in security after failing to become a pilot. When his drunk wastrel brother shows up looking for money to pay off gambling debts, a scuffle ensues and the older brother is hit by a jeep. Deshi's family, despondant, demand that Deshi find a corpse to bury with his unwed brother so his brother doesn't spend eternity alone. Deshi begins a journey that will take him to far places as he seeks to find a rare corpse bride for his brother.

Author/illustrator Novgorodoff based the story upon an article from the Economist that noted a "burgeoning market for female corpses in rural areas of China as a result of the strange custom called 'Ghost Marriages'". She took the story and ran with it - creating characters that were heavily flawed, utterly realistic, completely fantastical, and very memorable. The amount of pathos in this large graphic novel is staggering - you don't love the characters but you don't hate them either. They all seem to be reacting according to their own selfish needs and desires - yet none seem to have any control over their destiny at all.

Although this 'road journey' adventure tends to stay fairly serious, it does have its humorous moments. As with the scenes of the father creating a posse out of the village idiots in order to track down his 'kidnapped' daughter - and with each scene, he loses one more of his men. There's also the morbidly amusing scenes as Deshi digs up a corpse, deals with a stubborn mule, or grapples with the moral decision to murder or kiss the annoying girl he's saddled himself with during the journey. At some point, Deshi has to wonder who is more stubborn - the mule or the girl.

The illustrations are done on rice paper with watercolor - a nod to the Chinese influence. Linework was added later along with digital work. The author noted that she wanted a very Chinese influence on the backgrounds but cartoony, almost manga-like figures. Both give the story a very dreamlike quality despite the morbid and hopelessness of a lot of the scenes. But the illustrations also have a lot of deeper meanings and symbology - take the cover, for example, and you'll see that the morbidity of the tale is represented by the clouds and rocks forming a large skull.

I have to say, I really felt what each of the characters felt. The anger of Deshi when the girl he is going to kill starts talking about her dreams and desires in the big city of Beijing and why she ran away with him (and slowly eating at him with guilt). Or the girl, Lily's, frustration, anger, and utter selfishness and big ideas. Even her father, despite the very brutish drawing of him, really makes sense here.

Danica Novgorodoff is part Chinese and I think she wrote a lot of herself into the character of Lily Chen (the dedication is to her grandparents, Eugene and Ellen Chen Novgorodoff).

In all, this really is an excellent graphic novel that stands up under repeated readings. Highly recommended.

Received as an ARC from the publisher.

[First Second Books]

Sometimes, when I read graphic novels, I get to the end and am like, 'that was a little short.'

This is a perpetual problem of the graphic novel form, because it turns out that images can take so much less time to read than prose! And if you're looking at a book for kids, that can be perfect! But I occasionally get a bit tired of adult literary fiction graphic novels that feel more like novellas.

Usefully, Danica Novgorodoff's new graphic novel The Undertaking of Lily Chen is 432 pages long and feels extremely substantial (and amazing)!

It's a book about ghost marriages in China -- a custom (still happening today) where when someone unmarried dies, you want to bury them with a dead person of the opposite gender so they have a spouse in the afterlife. Which is a nice thought -- but not so fun for the person who has to go out and find a corpse to bury with their family member.

And it only goes downhill from there for our poor protagonist.

You guys should definitely check out this book!

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is a fucked up little book. Kinda loved it.
4.5 Review to come.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I love about graphic novels are how easy and fast they are to read. My students read at least one every two weeks, so I try to do the same. I picked up this graphic novel because I thought the topic was very fascinating. I have never heard of a custom where every man must have a wife to keep him company in the afterlife, whether he is married or not. I learned a lot from this book.

"Deshi Li's brother is dead—and unmarried. Which means that Deshi must find him an eligible body before the week is up.
Lily Chen, sweet as a snakebite, needs money and a fast ride out of town.
Haunted by the gods of their ancestors and the expectations of the new world, Deshi and Lily embark on a journey with two very different destinations in mind.
They travel through a land where the ground is hard and the graves are shallow, where marriage can be murder and where Lily Chen is wanted—dead and alive."

[C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started out pretty promising, and turned into a complete waste of time at around 200 pages--even the artwork got lazy at some point. When I felt the most tortured by this book, I wondered if the author was high when she wrote this and just tried to make this as wacky and amusing as she could...it's not funny. I think she takes a sensitive topic and deals with it the wrong way. There were just weird moments in the novel. I think it's culturally insensitive and racist in a lot of ways.

This book is an easy, fast-paced read.

I'm not usually one to comment on historical accurateness, but this shit was all over the place and the stuff going on just made no sense. Were the characters in rural China, or in an American high school? It's like the author did no research for this book. Like another reviewer noted, it's also vulgar in some places--not a good way to treat such a serious topic. I'm amazed more people aren't offended by this insulting piece of crap.

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex

This comic follows Deshi shortly after his brother has been killed. He sets out to find a corpse to marry his deceased brother, it is a Chinese custom followed so that a unmarried deceased person will not be alone in the afterlife. I expected the story to be darker than it was, but the people and situations Deshi encounter involved a lot of humor. Deshi's parents send him out and after remembering his brother fondly for his ambition. I expected more fantasy or paranormal elements that could have added more depth to Deshi's journey.

The artwork is done on rice paper in watercolor. There was far more artwork than dialogue included in the panels. The sparse dialogue failed to keep me interested, the comic would be more engaging if it was shorter. The plot itself seems stagnant at times and the use of vulgar language and violence clashes with the delicate water color artwork. I learned more about Chinese culture but I am always skeptical of someone stereotyping or describing a culture they aren't from.This was a great concept that could have been done much better.

Recommended for Readers Who
-enjoy comics that explore Chinese culture
-appreciate water color art

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what about this book left me unsatisfied. I liked it but it also rubbed me the wrong way. The characters were not very likeable and the author never really goes deep with her characters. I didn't realize the author also wrote Slow Storm until I'd finished this. I had the same problem with Slow Storm. The characters were not developed enough for me to care about their stories. Both books had great potential to be great but somewhere along the line they end up falling flat.

I also found it a little jarring when Lily (who is so annoying) starts calling men pumpkin and babe. What felt like a story set in a remote village, perhaps in some not so distant past, all of a sudden had a character pulling out his cellphone. It was a bit odd to the telling of the story.

For the most part, I hated the artwork, mainly the way people were drawn. Not appealing to the eye at all. What I did love were the bursts of watercolor added to some of the panels. It was beautiful how these set the mood at times or how shapes of faces were hidden within the watercolor.

It's a very quick read and the panels with watercolor are beautiful to look at. The story is not bad but it didn't wow me out.

[Kimberly Francisco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think it worked so well. I was mostly just disturbed. Not by the concept of ghost brides (which is disturbing, but interesting). The relationship between Deshi and Lily disturbed me, I guess. It didn't make me feel what I think the author intended.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

ظاهرا پیدا کردن همسر برای مردی که ازدواج نکرده و از دنیا رفته، هنوز هم در چین امروزی ادامه داره. البته باید راجع به این موضوع تحقیق کنم چون تمام چیزی که میدونم از این کتاب گرفته شده.
دِشی لی باعث مرگ برادرش شده و حالا والدینش مجبورش کردن که برای برادرش باید یک روح همسر پیدا کنه. داستان تلاش های برادرش و اتفاقاتی که توی مسیر براش می افته رو زیبا بیان کرده. تصاویر کمی خنده دار و هیجان انگیز هستن و دید زیبایی از طبیعت چین رو به تصویر میکشن. کتاب واقعا زیبایی بود.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really think Novgorodoff's Slow Storm was that good; it felt too short and insubstantial, so I was doubtful when I saw this, but the cover art and basis for the story intrigued me, and.. it is 432 pages, so clearly is not slight… The practice of ghost marriages is at the heart of this tale, a practice still engaged in in some places in China… and morbid, and potentially criminal, that dead men (is it only men?) need to be buried with also dead spouses…. So this sort of epic tale tells of a guy who has to find a Corpse Bride for his dead brother. In the process he finds Lily. The art is gorgeous, pen and ink and luscious watercolors, and the landscape scenes are justifiably often larger to show off the art… the characters are pretty cartoony in a manga way to offset the lovely realism (like manga godfather's work in Buddha, cartoony manga characters and delicately etched background scenes). I don't like the cartoony characters very much; I mean, I don't like that choice for cartoony characters, and also, the two main characters aren't all that likable. To say this is the story of Lily Chen is not quite true, since the focus largely is on the guy who travels with her, and we don't really come to care for her much at all, except maybe a little toward the end… But this is a book of real ambition, drawing on myth, superstition, cultural tradition, landscape, and also a kind of suspense thriller tale (of sorts; I mean, there's the intrigue of consorting with murderers and graverobbers and wondering how Our Hero will resolve his crisis… This is pretty darned impressive, overall. Highly recommend!

[Abeer Hoque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Danica is a friend.

I met Danica Novgorodoff in 2011 at an arts residency in Virginia. She was working on The Undertaking of Lily Chen, a graphic novel that would take her 5 years to complete. I saw some of the pen and ink sketches at the time and I loved them. But how it’s all come together into this sprawling 430 page book is another wonder.

TUoLC is gorgeous gorgeous: pen and ink drawings painted with lush watercolour, haunting, precise, mystical. It’s funny, how despite all that beauty, you have to make yourself stop and look longer, because the story races along so, with a time line that ticks down day by day, abacus bead by abacus bead. This is a problem I often have with graphic novels - as much as I love the art, the words strike me first, fastest, and I’m hard pressed not to keep turning the page as quickly as I can. (I finished TUoLC in hours.)

Each of TUoLC’s 35 chapters has its own icon, a stylised face, reminiscent of a wax seal or royal bust head. They often begin and end with landscapes, sweeping mountain scenes, urban skylines, graveyards, rivers, ghosts. The story is about a young man, Deshi, who has to find a corpse bride for his dead brother, an ancient folk custom that his parents are determined to see through. He finds instead a fire cracker of a village girl, Lily Chen, and their pell mell journey from country to city is the heart of the book.

Despite the setting of rural and urban China, of characters ostensibly Chinese, TUoLC comes off American wild west, not just in its obscene jaunty dialectal English, but the very sensibility of the story. I think that’s ok. It’s another kind of book, perhaps an American story set in China based on Chinese folklore and told with a cowboy voice. Any which way, TUoLC is beautiful and clever and thrilling. I highly recommend it.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Undertaking of Lily Chen is another book mentioned on a list of "most beautiful graphic novels" that I saw recently. It is quite nice to look at. The illustrations convey a kind of magical realism, and I like that.

The story, however, feels like the beginning of an intriguing idea--but it doesn't go anywhere. As it began, I expected perhaps a heroic quest into the underworld. And though there are hints of ghosts hovering over the protagonists, the narrative never really goes there. I found it disappointing in its resolute commitment to staying in, essentially, the "real" world. A lingering, but unaddressed, question at the conclusion is: If there are spirits active in the world, then is it true that a man needs a wife to accompany him to the afterlife? Or is it all just part of "you people and your superstitions," as Lily would say? (And it seems odd that Lily both idealizes city folk as having everything she dreams of, while also disdaining them as "you people," bound by superstitions. I may be missing something culturally.)

The title of the book is clever, though a little confusing because the story really seems to focus on Deshi. Both of the protagonists have things to learn on their journey, though it never amounts to anything of huge significance. In fact, I'm not quite sure what they learn by the end, and whether they are useful lessons.

Overall, it was an interesting read with great potential, but ultimately disappointing in its reluctance to push further outside the boundaries and challenge expectations.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a super interesting premise - in China, there is a practice where if a man dies unmarried, the family procures a female body to bury with him. This is a real thing.

Don't go into this comic thinking it is nonfiction, though. It's a specific story about a specific fictional man who is tasked with finding his dead brother a burial wife. He soon finds himself in the company of a young woman who wants to escape her rural life.

The illustrations here are super uneven. Novgorodoff uses a mix of watercolor washes and more specific line drawings. The figure work is, at first glance, not always super accessible. And honestly, the story never transcends that. There are landscapes and introductory pages that make me want to stop and stare, but I found the inconsistency of the character drawings distracting.

I had high expectations, which may have hurt my experience here.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not like these characters. At all.

FYI, Lily Chen is not the main character. Although she is a complete person with a clear personality (that I dislike, but is understandable), she's largely used as a prop.

Instead, the MC is a cowardly second son constantly on the edge of murder. Yes, yes, it's all about superstitions and cultures and ages colliding, but Murder. Is. Bad. Everyone is awful, but gentle ink colours with harsh lines and culture clashes make for an interesting enough read.

The magical realism elements mainly come from the presence(?) of ghosts.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Above average journey. 2 souls, each with disparate needs, travel together to the final destination. An exploration of greed, desires and primogeniture .

[Melliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon avis en Français

My ENglish review

I did not know about this book but I’m really glad I had the opportunity to read it. The story deals with a rather unique custom. Indeed, it seems that in some parts of China, when a man dies unmarried, it is important to find him the body of a woman, herself died unmarried to unite them in death for the man to be accompanied in his afterlife. This is not a simple thing and a big market exists to find enough fresh bodies to use them. People go so far as to steal the bodies in tombs to bring them home. I do not know if this practice does exist and I think I’ll try find out more because I think it’s pretty impressive. In any case, you understand that the basis of the story is really intriguing and I was really curious to get into the comic.

We therefore follow Deshi, who accidentally killed his brother, who died unmarried. His family asks him to make amends and so to find him a wife to unite them. Haunted by his brother, his ancestors and his guilt, Deshi will try to find someone for his brother but will quickly realize that he may have to kill someone for that to happen. Yet this is much easier said than done.

I was very impressed by the mastery of the drawings as well as the representation of the Asian culture. I really did not expect that there, but we finally find that very few dialogues. It’s quite fun to read and fast too but what is the most impressive shot is that the author does not need words to tell her story, no, the explicit illustrations are everything we need. This is really something quite mastered from beginning to end and it’s true that I had a great time with the whole. The end is somewhat open, which I think is a shame but I admit that it was a very nice discovery!

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in 2014 this graphic novel came out. Everyone wanted to read it. I was one of them. I ended up buying this graphic novel and it sat on the shelves for YEARS. I actually liked this one. Giving it a 3.5 stars.

In the Undertaking of Lily Chen, Dashi is the youngest don of the house of Li. He works for the military as a security guard. His older brother Wei dies and Dashi’s mother and father are disappointed in the outcome. They wish that it was Dashi who had died. Wei had more to offer as the eldest son. He was also the heir to the family business. Dashi goes to the city to find a graverobber in order to find a ghost bride for his dead brother.

Dashi travels far on an old mule. He gets into trouble several times on his quest. He arrives home on the seventh day. Happy endings all around.

Loved how the illustrations included watercolor. I liked that we got to see the characters grow. Overall I recommend this graphic novel.

[Geraldine (geraldinereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Deshi accidentally kills his brother, his parents want him to go on a search for a woman's corpse. This custom is called a "ghost marriage" where a husband and wife share a grave. If a man dies unmarried, a body of a woman must be found to bury him with.

I couldn't put this down and I ended up finishing it in one sitting! I can't even being to describe how much I enjoyed the art! I loved the watercolors and the manga/cartoon feel to it. It reminded of of an old Cartoon Network show I used to watch (Samurai Jack) which I loved watching when I was a kid.

I didn't know if this was going to be the type of story I would enjoy, but I ended up really enjoying it! I would definitely recommend this to someone who appreciates this style of art as it's not for everyone. 3.5/5 stars!

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art and Chinese religious beliefs story.

[Colleen Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edgy, beautiful, upsetting and surprisingly funny, I loved this graphic novel. Novgorodoff's watercolors are brilliant; her landscapes and underwater scenes were my favorite. I also didn't know about the folklore of dead brides, so I appreciated learning about this strange cultural tradition - one that isn't that old.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

From the moment that I saw the stunningly morbid cover of Danica Novgorodoff’s The Undertaking of Lily Chen, I knew I had to read it.

It’s your classic story: a young rapscallion gets into a harmless argument and accidentally kills his older brother (who, let’s face it, was a bit of a twat). Parents insist that young man find beloved brother a wife with whom to spend eternity (or you know, he could end up in prison for murder). Boy goes a hunting, desecrates some graves, finds himself an unsatisfied matchmaker all around. Until she comes into view. Lily Chen, the perfect ghost bride. Too bad she still has a heartbeat.

I’d love to be able to describe The Undertaking of Lily Chen in such a light and bouncy term as ‘fun’, but alas, that’s not going to happen. Though Novgorodoff does infuse her tale with a certain undertone of humor, the overlying tone is much more morose. I mean, let’s get real people, this is the story about a young man, whose parents obviously favored his brother, looking for a dead woman to spend eternity with said brother (who he didn’t like anyway). There’s all sorts of messed up family dynamics, and we haven’t even gotten to the Chens. Lily lives in a tiny country village where her family is about to lose their home unless they can come up with the money to renew their lease. The best idea her dad can come up with? Marry her off to the skeezy businessman in town. It’s no wonder these two crazy kids just want out of things. If only they were looking to go about it the same way.



The Undertaking of Lily Chen is a brutal, weird, and absolutely fascinating graphic novel that is nearly impossible to put down. Luckily, it’s a quick enough read that if you have an hour or two, you won’t need to. It has trippy dream sequences, soothsayers, and the ghosts of the recent dead. It’s art and story are this strange nod to both the beauties and horrors of Chinese culture—a clashing of old traditions against the modern era.

Ultimately, despite the blood, the betrayals, and the absolute messed-up-ness of the whole thing, The Undertaking of Lily Chen is a story of hope and a story of love. It tackles love of family, and love of home, love of money, and love of a dream, and of course, flat out love. It’s bittersweet with a knife’s sharp edge, twisted and quirky in a very unique way.

That stated, I didn’t love The Undertaking of Lily Chen so much as I found it intriguing. Lily Chen herself was so annoying I was on the edge of my seat forever just waiting for Deshi to pull the plug already, but Deshi himself was so run down and sad a character it was hard to really root for him. I get that sometimes two crazy sad people find each other and it works, but at the same time, I find it hard to emotionally invest myself. Still, for the time investment and the sheer graceful horror of the art, this one was certainly worth it.

Novgorodoff’s art reflects her story perfectly in that I still don’t quite know how I feel about it. My gut reaction is that I don’t care for the style with its wobbly lines and uncomfortable looking bodies, and yet, the sweeping watercolor backgrounds and elements capture my eye such that I do not want to look away. Stunning when used together with her foreground style in panels, her watercolors are even more striking on their own. Indeed, her watercolor work is both haunting and delicate, bringing a quality to The Undertaking of Lily Chen that could not be conveyed through words alone.

Novgorodoff’s detail work throughout also adds her unique touch. We see the days tick down on the abacus as chapters go by, while Deshi’s mother works to sew the perfect dress for her dead son’s ghost bride. Overall, it is beautifully thought out book.

Sometimes it’s those stories we don’t know how to feel about that stick with us best and I don’t see Lily Chen slipping to the back of my mind anytime soon. I do have one certain thought, that I’ll be looking to get my hands on some more of Novgorodoff’s work in the future.

This review was originally posted at Tor.com.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ancient Chinese custom demands that each unwed man to pass away, must be found a wife - preferably also deceased - to be buried alongside him. After all, eternity is a big place, and no man should be forced to enter it alone.

When Deshi Li accidentally causes the death of his own brother, his family places the weight upon him to find a beautiful bride. In a world ruled by tradition, merchants can be hired to assist one in exhuming graves to seek out lovely women, but when Deshi Li meets Lily Chen, he decides she's the one - too bad she isn't dead yet.

---

1 STAR

Let me preface this review by admitting that my disappointment was, in part, due to the artwork. I really try hard to focus on the story in a graphic novel, allowing the artwork to be icing on the proverbial cake, but the cover for this novel is stunning . I insisted on pointing it out to everyone - the librarian, my boyfriend, my mother... this thing is a damn work of art.

On the outside.

The inside does not match the cover at all. I positively hated the artwork inside. There is still some watercolor usage, but it doesn't save the novel from the fact that the art is hideous, inconsistent, and just... I'm sorry, I couldn't stand it.

That would've only been enough to knock this review down to 4 stars, if it weren't for the fact that the characters were SO. FUCKING. HORRIBLE. There is not a single likable character in the entire goddamn novel. No, scratch that, Deshi Li's brother was probably a decent guy, but considering HE'S DEAD, I get to err on the side of believing that every single character is awful. Deshi Li is a piece of shit, his parents don't deserve to have a family, Lily Chen is a whining, entitled, rude brat, and every side character highlighted throughout the duration of the story is just gruesomely selfish, pathetic, and terrible. I seriously cannot say enough negative things about the character creation and/or development (lol jk, what development?) in this story.

As far as the plot goes, it made no sense. Deshi Li constantly alternates between wanting to fuck Lily Chen and wanting to murder her in her sleep, and she has no interest in him whatsoever until he whips his dick out. I didn't feel like the story ever actually went anywhere noteworthy, and by the time I reached the back cover, I literally just dumped the book on the floor, saying, "The fuck?"

I would not recommend this book to anyone, except maybe some poor sap who wants to waste precious time that they could spend reading something better, as in almost ANYTHING ELSE.

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of good things going on in this graphic novel so I can understand why other readers enjoyed it more than I did. First and foremost, the backgrounds are incredibly beautiful. Novgorodoff's art is it's own unique style and although I wasn't thrilled by the character design the backgrounds swept me away. They made each panel look like its own small art print.

On top of this you have an incredibly interesting concept of ghost marriages. These post-death unions are fascinating in what they represent in a society and incredibly sad in proving just how little agency some women have even in setting the terms of their own afterlife. It's a unique story idea that I have never come across before, which is always a plus.

However, despite these two positives, The Undertaking of Lily Chen didn't hit the mark.

First off, the geography makes zero sense. This is a major draw back for what could be broadly called a "road trip" story. How do you live in a world with flip phones, but you can't seem to ask someone to draw you a map so you aren't wandering around half the country side? It seems like it takes a hot second for Deshi to get to a place and then over 3/4's of the book for him to get back to the start.

The graphic novel also lacked a strong sense of character, especially in terms of character motivation. For example, the very basis of the story: Deshi's brother dies. Deshi, out of desperation, may kill a women to give his brother a ghost bride. But, like, why? What motivation does Deshi have? Because I couldn't place my finger on it. If you stop and ask yourself, "But why?" about any of the character's motivations it just stops the story dead in its tracks. It removes any sense of danger or any sense of connection with the character. I needed more to hold onto.

There was so also much potential for the ending. If it had found a way to turn things on there head, or go to an unexpected place, or literally anything else than what actually happened I may have come away from this a little softer.

I just couldn't get on board for this one. The art and concept are interesting, but the narrative and characters were too a hard sell.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly interesting story of a young woman as she runs away from home with a stranger that is traveling through her area searching for a bride for his brother, who just so happens to be unmarried and somewhat dead. It is a custom in parts of China than dead unmarried men are 'married' so they are not alone in the afterlife (a cruel part of me wonders are men really that helpless that even in death they need someone to look after them? I mean seriously!). That aside this story is more about the living than the dead and the pressure that parents can put on their children to do their bidding, make them proud, do better than their siblings or get them out of the lives they have created for themselves. None of which ends particularly well. The story was interesting but it was really the artwork that grabbed my attention, it is simple yet full of little details that really make the story come to life, as well as taking the reader on the journey with the characters through their dreams and visions. Overall not a bad read.

[kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

well, it's pretty.

that's literally the only nice thing i can say, which is pretty awful because saying "it's pretty" is the worst thing you can say at an art critique.

this book is titled 'the undertaking of lily chen", but the entire book is not even about her journey - her journey is a side plot. the story is about deshi dealing with his brother's death and trying to find him a corpse bride. whatever lily does at the end does not change this story in any way.

and what was UP with the strange relationship between deshi and lily? SO FRAKKING AWKWARD - he was trying to kill her. no. just no.

was this about men vs women, about old vs new? i was confused when lily made the "you people are so..." comment, and deshi calls her out on it, but it was never discussed even when it came up a second time. what is the point of saying "you people"? who is being called out?

total crap.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm reading this as an ignorant American not well versed in Chinese customs, so I'm taking the book at face value. I've read other reviewers who mention it is offensive on some level, but that is beyond me.

Deshi's brother Wei has died at a young age, before he was married. He lives in a part of China where it's unthinkable for him to be alone in the afterlife, so Deshi is tasked with finding Wei a bride. If he can't find an appropriate corpse, he may have to create one. And so Deshi leaves on his weeklong quest to insure his brother has a bride for the afterlife. Along the way, he falls in with a disreputable grave robber before meeting up with Lily Chen, quite the spitfire of a woman who herself is about to be married off to save her father's farm.

I was absolutely blown away by the watercolor artwork in some of the panels. I loved how Novgorodoff would mix various styles, from a more cartoonish look for her characters to the lush and beautifully rendered watercolors. I would always stop to stare at the watercolors, which was handy to slow me down a bit, since this book is easy to blow through at lightning speed. I enjoyed the plot, though I did find it rather predictable.

Highly recommended, if only for the gorgeous art.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A while back I read and reviewed Slow Storm by Danica and honestly didn’t enjoy it all that much. However I keep seeing The Undertaking of Lily Chen and wanting to read it...so when I saw it at the used book store I decided to pick it up. I am so glad I did, this is a very interesting look into Chinese culture and an interesting story.

The story follows a young man, Deshi, who has accidentally killed his older brother in a fight. His mother and father are extremely distraught, to the point of wishing that the younger son (Deshi) had died instead. They demand that the young man find his dead brother a corpse bride (a young, dead Chinese woman) so that they can be wed and their eldest son will not have to go into death alone. However, dead young women are in short supply in China.

Lily is the only daughter of a farmer. Her father is going to marry her off to pay their debts, but Lily is fiery and disagreeable. She wants to make her own choices and live her own life. She flees her home and stumbles into Deshi. Lily could be the answer to all of Deshi’s problems...if only she weren’t so….alive.

There are so many interesting aspects to this story. The idea of a corpse bride is fascinating. Basically young dead Chinese men can be wed and married to a young dead Chinese woman so that they don’t have to venture into death alone. It is an antiquated practice that has been finding resurgence in China.

The family that Deshi comes from lives in town and has broken the one child only law. Despite this they are very traditional and truly see their second child as a “backup” and not as useful as their eldest.

Lily’s family is a farming family. They have not broken the one child only law, but really could use more help on the farm. They are much more modern in viewpoint than Deshi’s family. However when push comes to shove Lily still has very few rights as a Chinese woman.

Looking at the contrast between the two families is interesting and fascinating. However there is a more personal story here as well. Deshi is obviously in mourning over his brother’s death. He is torn between trying to do right by his family and brother and trying to do what he feels is right as far as Lily is concerned. Both the main characters are fascinating. The culture is intriguing. The whole thing is an excellent read.

The illustration style is very distinct; if you have read other graphic novels by Danica this is more of the same. I am not a huge fan; I tend to like my illustration with a bit more detail and definition. This style is more simplistic, although there are some beautiful watercolor backdrops throughout. So, I would recommend taking a look through the book and seeing if the style appeals to you.

Overall a fascinating graphic novel that was interesting to read and highly entertaining. I really enjoyed it. This gives an interesting look into Chinese culture while still providing a story that is engaging and heartwarming. Recommended to those who love graphic novels.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. A haunting tale of sorrow, ghosts, ancient customs and dealing with death. I'm partial to tales of Communist China and had high hopes for this book regarding an ancient custom of burying a female corpse with an unwed son who has died so he won't be alone in the after-world. This custom is still practised and, unfortunately, when a corpse can't be found it is easier to make one. In reality this is a modern day fairy tale, a romance with a bittersweet ending. One that shows the plight of women in communist countries and what happens to religion when Communism suppresses its open practice. The two families here are contrasts of one another. The town family with two sons who broke the one-child law, and yet still favour the first-born according tradition, even to the point of wishing the second son had died instead of the first. Then there is the girl's rural farming family who has the only child, merely a girl, and a troublesome one at that. Here is a family, as farmers, who could have done well with having several children, but they follow the law (as the penalties would have been exorbitant fees). This family is much more modern though, and when a rich man offers to marry the girl in payment of their debts, she runs off. As they (son & daughter) meet each other their points of view and way of life clash against each other as they journey through a tale of ancient China which is taking place today in modern Communist China. Haunting and memorable with absolutely gorgeous watercolour artwork!