They say we’re meant to go from here to there, but so much happens between those two places. And there’s always more, isn’t there?

The Magic Fish, p. 1

Synopsis

Tiến treasures the moments he spends reading fairy tales with his mother. In those moments, he feels truly connected to her in a way that only stories can provide. But Tiến’s real life is far from a fairy tale. He is searching for the words to tell his parents that he’s gay. They speak Vietnamese fluently, but struggle with English, and that makes coming out even more confusing than it normally is. Could the answer lie in the stories that he and his mother share?

Review

This sweet, heartfelt graphic novel has a deep respect for fairy tales and the ways that stories can help us communicate. Moving between Tiến’s daily life and the fantastical tales that he reads with his mother, The Magic Fish is a beautiful book that tells us what all readers know: that stories create love and connection, and give people both escapes from reality and better ways to confront the real world.