Perfect post-World Cup read for someone who wasn't ready to leave the country just yet. Daytripper is a Brazil-set (and authored) comic with a gimmicky premise - each chapter is a slice of the protagonist's life that shows you what would happen if his life were to end at that age. What holds it together (and what really makes it work) is a series of relationships that persist throughout each of the parallel universes. It gives the reader two reasons to rush to the end of each section: finding out how Bras is going to die this time, and filling in more of the gaps of his overall story. In this way, it kind of reminded me of another comic I loved, Building Stories - which plays with the same effect of gradually filling in a story...the only difference is this one has a more traditional narrative structure. Worth checking out. Wow. How do I start. This was lent to me by my colleague whom I've decided to trade graphic novels with. I gave her Building Stories and she gave me this. And I will always, always remember her whenever I think about this. I think I'm going to need to read this again.The last time I felt this way towards a book was when I read Dave Eggers' You Shall Know Our Velocity, maybe because it had that same premise about yearning for such thing as a "full life" and one's dreams, and how in moments of silence you hear your most tumultuous self.The one thing I admired about Daytripper was how engaging it was. I read this in transit, while having desserts with my family at the mall, again in transit while the sun sets in which my available light were only the street lights, and lastly, in the living room while watching a musical show that was practically silenced by this—all these, at least for me, say a lot about how unputdownable it is. Daytripper was written so simply, and simple is hard to do; the twins' brilliance shine in almost every page.Death was tackled a lot of times so tenderly; not in a way that it was romanticized, instead just a real and an inevitable thing for all of us. It made me pore over my present and the life ahead of me and my “the world I live in”—that life is short and unpredictable, and how we're just never contented with what's already in front of us, how we pine for more even if we already have the things that give us comfort and make us feel home, and how the world doesn't really stop for someone's passing. There was a lot of homes hit in a few pages and I would say that even if it generally had a dark tone, it was, in a lot of moments: flamboyant. As I went through a couple of Brás’ deaths, I gradually thought it was predictable, like there was some kind of typical fantastic science-y revelation that will help the reader make sense of it all and answer the big how and why, but again, like the story's high moments, the crucial things just happened in silence, like a “little miracle”.
What do You think about Güngezgini (2013)?
As a fan of graphic novels, I am always looking for books that pair thought-provoking writing with captivating visuals: "Daytripper" offers the perfect combination of these elements. The creative storyline links multiple days (non-chronologically) to tell the larger story of a life. It blurs the lines between dream, reality and magic. I found it immersive and deeply engaging on many levels. I must admit this is one of the few graphic novels I've read that caused me to shed a tear. I think this book would be especially relevant for fathers, as it explores archetypal themes of what it means to be a dad.I could not put it down, and I devoured it, cover to cover.
—dioneli16
Beautiful! Normally with a graphic novel I find that I read first and then make myself look at the art. Daytripper never did that. The art and written word worked seamlessly together.Daytripper tells the story of a man struggling with life by telling the story of what his obituary would read if he died at certain moments in his life. That simplistic. Overall, surreal and thought provoking.
—mommy2twins02
A new favorite - up there with "Blankets" by Craig Thompson.
—alfredo01
