Shadow Life

by Hiromi Goto, Ann Xu (Illustrator)

2022 Asian/Pacific American Literature Award Winner for Adult Fiction
2022 L.A Times Book Prize Finalist

Poet and novelist Hiromi Goto effortlessly blends wry, observational slice-of-life literary fiction with poetic magical realism in the tender and surprising graphic novel Shadow Life , with haunting art from debut artist Ann Xu.

When Kumiko’s well-meaning adult daughters place her in an assisted living home, the seventy-six-year-old widow gives it a try, but it’s not where she wants to be. She goes on the lam and finds a cozy bachelor apartment, keeping the location secret even while communicating online with her eldest daughter. Kumiko revels in the small, daily decorating as she pleases, eating what she wants, and swimming in the community pool. But something has followed her from her former residence―Death’s shadow.

Kumiko’s sweet life is shattered when Death’s shadow swoops in to collect her. With her quick mind and sense of humor, Kumiko, with the help of friends new and old, is prepared for the fight of her life. But how long can an old woman thwart fate?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Magical Realism

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2021

About the author

Hiromi’s first novel, Chorus of Mushrooms (1994), received the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in the Caribbean and Canada region and was co-winner of the Canada-Japan Book Award. Her short stories and poetry have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies. Her second novel, The Kappa Child (2001), was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Regional Book, and was awarded the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award. Her first children’s novel, The Water of Possibility, was also published that year. Hopeful Monsters, a collection of short stories, was released in 2004. Her YA/Crossover novel, Half World (2009), was long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and received the 2010 Sunburst Award and the Carl Brandon Society Parallax Award. Her long poem, co-written with David Bateman, came out in Fall 2009. Wait Until Late Afternoon is her first book-length poetry publication. Darkest Light, companion book to Half World, will be released in 2012 with Penguin Canada.

Hiromi is an active member of the literary community, a writing instructor, editor and the mother of two children. She has served in numerous writer-in-residencies and is currently in BC, working on Darkest Light.

Reviews

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this graphic novel! Kumiko is a bisexual Japanese Canadian woman in her 70s who is stubborn, quirky, funny, and independent. After escaping the longterm care home her daughters set her up in, she sets up a life in her own apartment in East Van only to find death has come too early for her. She intends to fight it, sometimes literally like with the vacuum cleaner she's pictured with on the front cover.

I just LOVED Kumiko as a character, such a wonderfully rich depiction of a BIPOC queer elder. More books like this please!! This book was like getting to sit down with queer elders and learn about their lives (Kumiko's ex is a supporting character as well).

Gorgeous, expressive art and complex questions about death, mortality, and a life well lived. Just an all round excellent book.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic graphic novel about an elderly woman who's decided to fight off Death, after sneaking out of an independent living facility and renting herself an apartment. I didn't realize when I ordered this that she's bi (and it both matters to the plot yet isn't A Big Deal) so that was a lovely surprise. I also enjoyed how funny this book often was even once Kumiko is quite literally fighting for her life. Top notch character development, great pacing, and I loved the art. My fave graphic novel I've read so far this year, and it'll be interesting to see if anything can top it.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

An elderly Japanese-Canadian widow checks herself out of the old folks’ home and goes to live by herself - much to the annoyance of her daughters! Except it’s not just the depressing atmosphere of the home she’s escaping but death itself. And guess who’s tracked her down to her new place…

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto and Ann Xu is quite a boring comic, mostly because of the meandering, garbled story that didn’t seem to have a point and took its sweet time in not finding it.

The story might’ve worked if it had been more staunchly metaphorical. Death is always a presence in our mortal lives but tends to be most keenly felt in old age. Still, I didn’t really understand why Death was persistently trying to claim her. It made no sense to me why it was so insistent that she die now when she didn’t really have anything fatally wrong with her.

She’s also able to trap it in her vacuum cleaner for some reason so the fantastical is actually real but there don’t seem to be any consequences to trapping Death somewhere - presumably people are still dying out there in the world? Unless it’s not Death and it’s some demon - but then why does this demon want her dead? Goto’s script was so poorly written that key aspects of it remained vague and confusing throughout.

There isn’t much to the 350-ish page story. Mami traps the demon, gets into some scrapes, middle middle middle, then fantastical yet real for no reason finale. Parts of the story go nowhere - Mami can see ghosts but doesn’t do anything to help them, except for one at the end and she gives the watery ghost shoes. A ghost gets given physical shoes. Wha…?

Why does Death have tiny cute minions? How did the one minion become a bird after drinking some blood? Is it really so easy to check oneself out of a nursing home by themselves and get an apartment straightaway in Canadia? What does the seeming fact that spirits and the afterlife are real meant to mean? Now she’s defeated Death will Mami live forever? What was the point of the story? No idea.

I liked Mami’s self-sufficient attitude. I don’t think old people’s agency should be taken from them simply because of their age - so long as we have our wits about us, we should be able to live on our own terms. Ann Xu’s black and white art is fine - I had no issues with the presentation of the comic.

I think there’s the bones of a potentially good comic here - something about fighting for her independence, holding onto her identity, and living the life she wants regardless of anyone else without having to make it a literal fight against Death as an entity and ground it instead in side effects of a malingering illness maybe - but Hiromi Goto doesn’t realise it here. Shadow Life was mostly a poorly-plotted, often dull and rambling read that I didn’t find very entertaining or even understood most of what it was shooting for, if anything.

I can’t think of anything immediately comparable to recommend instead of this but First Second has published other supernatural comics by Asian creators that are worth reading like Jason Shiga’s Demon series and Boxers by Gene Luen Yang, all of which are much more fun to read than Shadow Life was.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Against her family's wishes, a charming and elderly Japanese Canadian woman sneaks out of an assisted living facility and takes her own apartment in the city. Things don't go smoothly, but she is happier at least, until she notices the literal shadow of Death lingering about. A super slow start keeps gaining speed until it is an outright war for the chance to live her life as she wishes.

A powerful story about aging, love, and independence that should appeal to fans of A Man Called Ove.

[Eilonwy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kumiko has had it with spending her final months in an assisted-living facility. So she walks out, gets her own apartment, and refuses to tell her children where she is. She's quite pleased with the arrangement. But a shadow follows her, playing a game of wits. Who will outsmart who?

I'm a fan of Hiromi Goto's prose novels and needed a book I could read in a day before starting a buddy read, so I decided to squeeze this in.

It's mostly charming. Kumiko is stubborn and quirky; she knows her own mind and how she likes things. And she savors her freedom, since she knows it can't really last. I enjoyed watching her just living her life. And I was delighted with how she dealt with the shadow.

But at the same time, the day-to-day prosaicness of the events wore on me a little. The story was just a teeny bit dull. Not enough to make me stop reading, but enough that I wasn't as engaged as I would have liked.

There were also a couple too many coincidences of sorts at the end. And honestly, I kind of wish Kumiko had stayed dead, because I was genuinely mourning the shadow's win over her.

This is a sweet, poignant book, and I appreciate that it's about an old lady. But it's also a little slight. Still, the art is good, and I don't regret spending a day with Kumiko.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really engaging graphic novel dealing with death, autonomy, second chances, love, regret, and community. The art style was relatively sketchy, but I did like how every character was instantly identifiable and the world and settings felt real and lived in. The story was great, even if the supernatural elements seemed a little underdeveloped or explained, and it is so interesting to see a story like this with an elder protagonist, looking back on her life and yelling to the universe that her life is not yet over!

**Thanks to the author, artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in the age where people close to me have begun to die. And whenever I talk about it afterwards, one thing I've heard in common about their passing is that in the end they just... gave up. They stopped eating, stopped doing things, stopped hoping for the future, and just let themselves go. I find such a thing hard to imagine myself, but then, I also can't begin to imagine all of the things they were going through in those final years, all the things dragging them down. One day I will know.

Well, Kumiko isn't giving up. She has things coming for her and looking to bring her in, from within (her own body), without (her well-meaning but ignorant family), and beyond (some nebulous supernatural menace), but she keeps on going. She still has things to see and things to live. And for all of that she earns my sympathy and makes me want to see whether she pulls through in the end. She's a trooper.

Something about the art never grabbed me, though. I can't explain it. Just as I can't explain all of the horror coming for her, and perhaps that's all very well.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

When was the last time you read a book with a 76 year old woman hero? For that alone, this deserves 5 stars. But's there's so much more.

Kumiko's daughters mean well, and have placed their mother in a retirement home. K is having none of that. She makes a break for it, and while she calls to let her girls know she's alive, she's not telling them where she is. And, if K didn't have enough things to handle, death is stalking her too. A story of reslience, aging, mortality, told with insight and humor.

I loved it. The best graphic novel I've read all year.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 197/300

content warnings: death, car accident, injury, medical content

kumiko isn’t ready to die yet. this is why she’s living on her own and not in an assisted living facility. it’s also why, when death’s shadow comes to claim her, she does everything in her power to put a stop to it. but how long will she be able to thwart fate?

old women deserve to be kick-ass protagonists, and this book proves it. while their were moments i started to feel like kumiko’s eldest daughter (she was stressing me out, too, okay?), i enjoyed all her antics. this was such a unique story and really made me think about life and death. while there were several funny parts, i did almost tear up toward the end, which is more than i can say about most other books, so kudos to hiromi goto! i highly recommend this graphic novel and will be looking into the author’s and illustrator’s respective backlists.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this stunning graphic novel, from author Hiromi Goto, 76-year-old widow Humiko is put into assisted living by her adult daughters. Then, she secretly leaves in the dark of night to find a place of her own to live -- claiming that she is running from the clutches of death. Beautifully drawn and colored by Ann Xu, this book contains only a smattering of words as it uses magical realism and detailed visual storytelling to illustrate the ways Humiko tries to protect herself from the certainty of death.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este tebeo sobre una anciana que rehúsa sacrificar sus ganas de vivir ante el decaimiento de su cuerpo rebosa vitalidad. Sus olvidos, sus problemas físicos, su comportamiento incomprensible para las personas que le rodean, se contextualizan en un relato que anima a interpretarlos desde el cariño y la comprensión. Además, sobre esta historia cotidiana Hiromi Goto sitúa una capa fantástica desde una ambigüedad que no se resuelve hasta el desenlace. Esta parte me funciona mejor mientras se mantiene la duda sobre si las pequeñas criaturas simbólicas (la muerte, el caos, el cuidado) surgen o no de la imaginación de la protagonista. Sobre todo porque Goto es escritora y su dibujo es muy rudimentario. En la línea de Tillie Walden, aunque más torpe, sobre todo en la narrativa y en la representación fantástica del último tramo. Sin embargo, los elementos que componen la historia (la multiculturalidad de Canadá, la sanación de las heridas del pasado, la relación con las hijas) están muy bien tratados y me han mantenido interesado (y emocionado) hasta el final.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the viewpoint of an elder woman who walks away from assisted living...to live her own life...on her own.
It's unusual and delves into some surreal fantasy as she makes her own way.

[Elif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayatınız sona ermek üzere ama siz bunu istemiyorsunuz, ne yapardınız? Bu soruyu yaşlı bir kadının gözünden cevaplayan bir kitap. Onun hayata tutunma ve kendi başına yaşama çabasını basitlikle anlatıyor. Hayattaki büyük olayları değil ufak tefek yaşananları anlatan kitapları okumaktan keyif alıyorum. Shadow Life’ın farkı ölüm karşısında yaşlı ve artık bakıma muhtaç hale gelmiş bir kadının hayatını anlatıyor olması. Açıkçası hayata inadına tutunma tarzı kitapları bazen seviyorum bazen pek sevmiyorum. Bunun en büyük nedeni de durumu reddetmenin hayatın temeline aykırı olmasından kaynaklı. Hepimiz bir gün göçeceğiz. Bu kitap ortalamaydı, karakterler arka planda kalmıştı öyle olunca derinlik yoktu. Ama hikayenin ele alınma biçimini ve çizimlerdeki ölüm detaylarını beğendim. Bir yandan da bakım evlerinde hayata tutunan ve bir çeşit hapishane hayatı yaşayan insanları düşündürdü.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fittingly badass cover! This was a fun romp, and I loved that the story centered on an older woman who is not defined in terms of being a mother or grandmother but as herself. I loved the sense of place and character and community. I do like magical realism, but this aspect of the story was a bit hazy for me. Great art!

[Tassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idosas enganando a morte!!!

[Rogerio Lopes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algo que impressiona nessa Graphic Novel é o quanto está apenas implícito nos desenhos de Ann Xu, inclusive talvez incomode, já que temos páginas e páginas onde nenhuma palavra é dita. A autora simplesmente nos convida a observar a protagonista Kumiko fugindo de uma lar de idosos. Entenderemos o porquê no decorrer da narrativa, mas já nos primeiros quadros sentimos o senso de urgência e o peso da trama. Por mais que a protagonista mantenha um certo bom humor e um olhar até otimista a narrativa é opressiva. A autora não se furta de fazer com que nós leitores percebamos o desprezo e o descaso com que a sociedade olha uma mulher idosa. Compartilhamos da aflição e da angústia da protagonista em manter sua identidade e independência contrapostas a sua fragilidade e medo frente a uma temível adversária. Acho bastante difícil o leitor não se emocionar durante a leitura, o terço final é vertiginoso e de uma beleza simbólica assombrosa. Por mais que o tema em si não seja tão novo a protagonista escolhida e a originalidade dessa escolha trazem uma grandeza e força para o texto que outra escolha não teria trazido. Uma Graphic Novel para se emocionar e refletir.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel featuring an aging Japanese Canadian bisexual mother has been on my tbr list for ages. I'm so glad I finally made the effort to pick it up and finish it! I loved the paranormal elements, the strong older female protagonist and the second chance at queer love plot line. We definitely need more books like this one telling relatable and compelling stories with wit and humor!! Highly recommended!!

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Shadow life, an elderly Asian woman fights back against her loss of control, as well as the physical manifestation of her impending death. It's a cute and clever story at times, with the Kumiko conquering death's shadow via vacuum cleaner. But it's also a frustrating story, and purposefully so. Kumiko's thinking isn't always crisp and she's painfully obstinate at times. In other words: she's getting old.

This is a key part of the story, not a bug: Hiromi Goto purposefully chose an elderly, queer, Asian protagonist to show how the aches and pains of aging are amplified when society has decided that you're already dead. Shadow Life is a hard read at times and perhaps made more so by the juxtaposition of Spirited Away cuteness and the harsh realities of life. I enjoyed getting to know Kumiko initially, but the more that the fantasy world intruded on her own life, the less interested I became. A Shadow Life without death's shadow perhaps would have hit home more forcefully.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. 76-year old Kumiko is aging, and her daughters move her into an assisted living facility before she is ready. As we get to know Kumiko, we learn she is a bisexual Japanese Canadian, who is a bit cantankerous, but who cherishes her independence so Kumiko packs up her stuff, escapes from assisted living, and finds her own apartment. She occasionally contacts one daughter, but won't let her know where she lives. Sadly, death's shadow follows her and she seeks help from some new friends and a former flame. The entire vacuum cleaner story is quite funny, but the book is a bit slow and the narration is limited, sometimes to the detriment of the reader's understanding.

[Mridula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Hiromi Goto & Ann Xu for this gift. We need more books about BIPOC queer elders💗

[Sarah B · Rating 3 out of 5]

So today I spent the day relaxing with a few graphic novels and this was one of them. While I did find it interesting I also felt the plot moved a tad slow and there were a few scenes (or panels) where I wasn't too sure what was going on or what they were showing. Still it is a decent story and it will entertain you - just don't expect excitement.

The plot is about an older woman who wants to be independent and live on her own even though her grown daughters don't like this idea. The woman suffers many of the common problems associated with being older in these modern days: losing items she needs like keys, can't remember if she took her pills, etc. But this is a horror story with a supernatural twist so the woman also has to fight a black blob like thing that is Death.

As the story unfolds it does have some complexity to it which is nice. And there is a cute little creature too but it is never really explained what this thing is. The story does indeed have a climax but something must have been lacking as I never really felt any concern during this scene? I guess perhaps I just simply couldn't relate to the main character at all.

I do admit the black blob like thing in here I had found rather confusing. At first I had actually thought it was something leaking from under a door. And at other times it sort of resembles a cat? So confusing!

In black and white.

The story is set in Canada.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kumiko's daughters are well-intentioned when they move their 76 year old mother into an assisted living facility, but this isn't where Kumiko wants to be - so she packs up her stuff and finds her own apartment. She occasionally communicates with her daughter, but she isn't giving out her location. She wants to be free to do the things she wants, when she wants. She values her independence and finds joy and pleasure in her daily routines. Unfortunately, she senses death's shadow following her and she seeks help from friends new and old to tell death "not now". It's not often that you get to see 76 year old women be the hero in books and I loved that about this charming graphic novel. You see the challenges of Kumiko's current situation, but you also get glimpses into her past - her loves, her choices, her losses. This was a wonderful read.

[Véronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character of this book is badass. She refuses to stay in an old folks home and instead gets herself a bachelor pad where she fights off Death's shadow.

I could connect the book to the pandemic where some people may of had to fight off some "demons" in isolation.

[kay]

i don’t like rating graphic novels bc i always feel like i needed more from them but i really liked this. and kumiko is SO COOL

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favourite Hiromi Goto yet! I enjoyed Chorus of Mushrooms and especially the grandma character in that book. I already really enjoyed the magic and myth elements of Half World. This has both those things and it was thoroughly enjoyable and readable. It’s a graphic novel so I know they don’t usually take very long to read for me, but I felt like I was just flying through this one following our unlikely yet intrepid main character as she marches toward freedom and fights against her fate.

I loved the discussion that Shadow Life brought up about elderly autonomy and elder care. There aren’t many books with elderly people as the main characters and fewer still that don’t talk about age in a condescending or saccharine way. Kumiko is independent and free-willed, but not without her struggles. And it was unexpected, but I was delighted to find out that there is bisexual representation in this book! Yay! Here’s to more queer older characters being badasses in books.

Content warnings for: death, injury, chronic pain, medication/drug use

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what happens with great collaboration. The characters, text, and storyline of Shadow Life are captivating from start to end. The stylistic detail of the illustrations creates a memorable crossover between everyday and mythic realities. There is a depth and a resonance in the final product that is so much more than the sum of its individual parts. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will find a rewarding experience in this one.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

[jess]

Wow! What an incredible book. exceeds the hype.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel about an older woman fleeing an assisted living facility and managing to keep death away for the moment.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this unusual graphic novel, and particularly the badass unconventional main character.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

This is a very cute graphic novel about a woman who simply refuses to die when death comes for her.