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49 Days
Day 1
Gotta get up. Gotta keep moving. This map – it says I have to cross over here. Wait, what’s that…?
And so begins a graphic novel story unlike any 49 Days. In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. Here in this book, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind.
Agnes Lee has captivated readers across the world for years with her illustrations for the New York Times Metropolitan Diary. Her debut graphic novel is an unforgettable story of death, grief, love, and how we keep moving forward.
Gotta get up. Gotta keep moving. This map – it says I have to cross over here. Wait, what’s that…?
And so begins a graphic novel story unlike any 49 Days. In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. Here in this book, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind.
Agnes Lee has captivated readers across the world for years with her illustrations for the New York Times Metropolitan Diary. Her debut graphic novel is an unforgettable story of death, grief, love, and how we keep moving forward.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2024
12 people are currently reading
4305 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
January 22, 2025
Wow, this was stunning. The artwork in this graphic novel is pretty simplistic, and yet it still packs an emotional punch. The way this story talks about grief and the sudden loss of a loved one really moved me. I’m not a religious person, but I found a lot of comfort in reading this.
February 25, 2024
Kit is on a journey she didn't ask for: in Buddhist tradition, it takes 49 days for the spirit of a recently deceased person to pass over to the next life, but Kit hadn't expected to be on this path anytime soon.
Drawn in spare, black-and-white illustrations, 49 Days proves to be quietly devastating. Alongside Kit's journey, we see the parallel journeys of the people she's left behind—family, mostly, but also some friends—and memories of the time before. What's particularly resonant, I think, is Kit's own grief; just as her family is not ready for her to be gone, she is not ready to leave them behind. I'm not a crier, but I suspect that this will be a tear-jerker for many.
This feels like something new in both graphic novels and books about grief. I'd also recommend Marie Mutsuki Mockett's Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye to readers who want a further look at grief in non-Western cultures.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
Drawn in spare, black-and-white illustrations, 49 Days proves to be quietly devastating. Alongside Kit's journey, we see the parallel journeys of the people she's left behind—family, mostly, but also some friends—and memories of the time before. What's particularly resonant, I think, is Kit's own grief; just as her family is not ready for her to be gone, she is not ready to leave them behind. I'm not a crier, but I suspect that this will be a tear-jerker for many.
This feels like something new in both graphic novels and books about grief. I'd also recommend Marie Mutsuki Mockett's Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye to readers who want a further look at grief in non-Western cultures.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
September 11, 2025
A graphic novel taking an idea from Buddhist tradition of a soul (in this case, that of a young Korean American girl) travelling for 49 days after they die before fully crossing over. This explanation is provided only in the blurb and in a note at the END of the book, so if you don’t already know it, you simply won't understand what’s happening. I had to stop the book midway and read the blurb to make sense of the girl’s seemingly limbo state.
Somewhat minimalistic illustrations that work for the story. Good use of dual tone in the illustrations, blue-toned to show the soul’s progress and brown-toned to show the grief-stricken family left behind. Barely any text for the first half or so. Quite fast-paced as most of the pages contain only illustrations.
A decent option for those who want to explore stories of grief and post-death beliefs in other cultures. But to me, it would have worked better with more explanation.
2 stars.
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Somewhat minimalistic illustrations that work for the story. Good use of dual tone in the illustrations, blue-toned to show the soul’s progress and brown-toned to show the grief-stricken family left behind. Barely any text for the first half or so. Quite fast-paced as most of the pages contain only illustrations.
A decent option for those who want to explore stories of grief and post-death beliefs in other cultures. But to me, it would have worked better with more explanation.
2 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
May 18, 2024
Kit, a young Korean American woman, wakes up on a beach with a map and a watch telling her she's already late. For days, she clambers over rocks and up trails, reaching for an undefined goal. Slowly, the book begins to flash back to Kit's childhood and family, the people she loved and left behind after her accidental death. In Buddhist tradition a soul travels for 49 days before rebirth, and this book follows one version of that path, the grief and slow healing that follow a loss. Drawn in a very simple yet evocative style, the spare ink lines and limited color fill this journey with meaning.
February 14, 2024
Beautiful and profound. I laughed and sobbed like a baby. This is one of those stories that sticks to your bones.
February 9, 2025
✨4 stars ✨
November 2, 2024
For a book so simple and short it was super confusing.
April 13, 2024
It gives you a look into the journey of a girl who is in her 49-day transitional period (the amount of time Buddhists believe a soul must travel before being reborn). At first, you watch Kit travel and wonder if it's cruel for her to have to go this long, knowing she's died and reminiscing over all of the things she'll never get to do. But by the end, she's had just enough time to reflect and come to a place of acceptance, with the prayers and love sent from her still living family and friends. Simultaneously watching her loved ones experience grief is where you'll shed some tears.
November 28, 2023
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc of this book. all thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.
this was beautiful. the story is sometimes extremely vague. but that is beautiful in itself because it leaves a lot of doors open for the reader to enter and interpret. the art was very soothing. this was a quick, short, easy and will absolutely pull on your heartstrings. in Buddhist tradition, there are 49 days between death and re-birth. this book follows kit's journey in those 49 days while also giving glimpses of how her family and her friends are coping with the grief. this really hit me in the feels since i am freshly grieving over the loss of my grandad recently. i think this will speak to a lot of people who are struggling with some kind of loss rn as well. is a very subtle, warm story that just flowed and leaves you with some warm feelings at the end.
this was beautiful. the story is sometimes extremely vague. but that is beautiful in itself because it leaves a lot of doors open for the reader to enter and interpret. the art was very soothing. this was a quick, short, easy and will absolutely pull on your heartstrings. in Buddhist tradition, there are 49 days between death and re-birth. this book follows kit's journey in those 49 days while also giving glimpses of how her family and her friends are coping with the grief. this really hit me in the feels since i am freshly grieving over the loss of my grandad recently. i think this will speak to a lot of people who are struggling with some kind of loss rn as well. is a very subtle, warm story that just flowed and leaves you with some warm feelings at the end.
July 4, 2024
Many thanks to Levine Querido for the review copy!
I love graphic novels like this that look so deceptively simple. The text, art style and use of colour are all sparse, but together they create something larger, rich in feeling.
Kit has passed away, and her soul goes on a 49-day journey after her death, following Buddhist tradition. We follow her journey, as well as her looking back on her life through flashbacks. And we follow her family in their time of grief, working through this loss together.
At first, the family's perspective felt the most touching to me, but admittedly, I might have shed a tear or two when reading Kit's storyline at the end. This is a true example of when less is more, and invoked so much emotion in me.
I love graphic novels like this that look so deceptively simple. The text, art style and use of colour are all sparse, but together they create something larger, rich in feeling.
Kit has passed away, and her soul goes on a 49-day journey after her death, following Buddhist tradition. We follow her journey, as well as her looking back on her life through flashbacks. And we follow her family in their time of grief, working through this loss together.
At first, the family's perspective felt the most touching to me, but admittedly, I might have shed a tear or two when reading Kit's storyline at the end. This is a true example of when less is more, and invoked so much emotion in me.
March 28, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and LQ for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
It's 1.32 am here and I planned to just read a page or two of this book coz I started it at 12.30ish. I'm night reader but I was tired today and planned to sleep early and here it went down the drain. Here I'm writing the review with blood shot eyes and sniffing nose.
This story was so sad but enlightening too. It's story of loss and grief and it is about moving on too. In Buddhist
tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can
fully cross over.
It's story of Kit and her family and friends and how her loss has affected them and left a void but life has to move on. And kit too when she is between life and death. It's not easy for living to move on but same might be for dead as well.
For a debut, it's amazing. The illustrations are simple and bold. It made me cry rivers.
It's 1.32 am here and I planned to just read a page or two of this book coz I started it at 12.30ish. I'm night reader but I was tired today and planned to sleep early and here it went down the drain. Here I'm writing the review with blood shot eyes and sniffing nose.
This story was so sad but enlightening too. It's story of loss and grief and it is about moving on too. In Buddhist
tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can
fully cross over.
It's story of Kit and her family and friends and how her loss has affected them and left a void but life has to move on. And kit too when she is between life and death. It's not easy for living to move on but same might be for dead as well.
For a debut, it's amazing. The illustrations are simple and bold. It made me cry rivers.
July 12, 2024
In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. This lovely graphic novel explores the journey of the wandering soul and the aftermath of her death on her loved ones.
February 16, 2025
It was an endearing story that left my heart feeling full but my stomach growling for kimchi. Loved the little shout-out to the classic K-drama 'Autumn in My Heart'. The author's definitely a Won Bin fangirl XD
January 27, 2025
Cherished this book just as much as Kit cherished her mother's kimchee
September 4, 2024
https://www.apalaweb.org/book-review-...
Kit, our young protagonist, is on a journey in the hinterland of a sort, utterly alone. The destination is vague, and so is the map in her possession, which seems to magically change depending her whereabouts. The landscape and everything in it shift around, like in a dream. Crossing a sultry desert, she spots a gigantic tree whose shade is beckoning her, only to realize upon nearing it that the tree barely reaches up to her knee. Feeling defeated, she jumps off the sheer cliff, only to open her eyes and find herself on the top of the cliff again. This world she traverses in runs by different rules of physics.
Soon, we learn that Kit is inside what is known as Bardo, a 49-day transitional period between death and rebirth according to a Buddhist tradition. She had been killed in a bus accident. In "49 Days," Agnes Lee's debut graphic novel, the author's challenge is to convincingly portray the afterlife of a young woman as well as the ineffable grief that assails the rest of the family member after Kit's death. Through the inventive use of panel arrangement, color, and strokes, Lee created a graphic novel that is highly original and deeply affecting.
The narrative has three strands. While the Bardo scenes are drawn with thick strokes, minimal dialogue, intentionally vague and colored in gloomy blue, Kit's recollections of their family time and their life after death are more intricate, detailed, with each panel filled up with busy figures and many dialogue bubbles, colored in orange and pink. Lee mentions that she used brush, pen, ink, and photoshop for the drawing, with all the dialogue texts hand-written by her. Everything feels very intimate due to these personal touches.
Kit's is a Korean American family, living in California, yet they have kept to a number of traditional activities that may have defined the previous generation's lives, such as making kimchi with cabbages and pepper paste and praying to a burning incense. One endearing scene portrays the silly competition where Kit and her two siblings try to make a biggest pork bossam that can still fit in their mouths.
It is ultimately a family story, how each member, even the dead one, forge ahead amidst profound grift in the wake of () tragedy. The novel conveys the theme that, yes, family love is everything, and also that, family love is... enough. One life is not really a single unit of a life. One life is actually many lives. We do not own our life entirely just to ourselves.
The narrative of an afterlife, at least in the Western societies, is heavily influenced by the Judeo-Christian myth and images, from Bible to Dante's Divine Comedy to Milton's Paradise Lost, we tend to think of afterlife in a binary term, heaven and hell. Buddhist tradition is more forgiving; their binary term would be rebirth and Nirvana. In Agnes Lee's novel, we get to glimpse the afterlife as told by another culture, another non-dominant religion, another myth not tainted by whites privileged discourse.
Kit, our young protagonist, is on a journey in the hinterland of a sort, utterly alone. The destination is vague, and so is the map in her possession, which seems to magically change depending her whereabouts. The landscape and everything in it shift around, like in a dream. Crossing a sultry desert, she spots a gigantic tree whose shade is beckoning her, only to realize upon nearing it that the tree barely reaches up to her knee. Feeling defeated, she jumps off the sheer cliff, only to open her eyes and find herself on the top of the cliff again. This world she traverses in runs by different rules of physics.
Soon, we learn that Kit is inside what is known as Bardo, a 49-day transitional period between death and rebirth according to a Buddhist tradition. She had been killed in a bus accident. In "49 Days," Agnes Lee's debut graphic novel, the author's challenge is to convincingly portray the afterlife of a young woman as well as the ineffable grief that assails the rest of the family member after Kit's death. Through the inventive use of panel arrangement, color, and strokes, Lee created a graphic novel that is highly original and deeply affecting.
The narrative has three strands. While the Bardo scenes are drawn with thick strokes, minimal dialogue, intentionally vague and colored in gloomy blue, Kit's recollections of their family time and their life after death are more intricate, detailed, with each panel filled up with busy figures and many dialogue bubbles, colored in orange and pink. Lee mentions that she used brush, pen, ink, and photoshop for the drawing, with all the dialogue texts hand-written by her. Everything feels very intimate due to these personal touches.
Kit's is a Korean American family, living in California, yet they have kept to a number of traditional activities that may have defined the previous generation's lives, such as making kimchi with cabbages and pepper paste and praying to a burning incense. One endearing scene portrays the silly competition where Kit and her two siblings try to make a biggest pork bossam that can still fit in their mouths.
It is ultimately a family story, how each member, even the dead one, forge ahead amidst profound grift in the wake of () tragedy. The novel conveys the theme that, yes, family love is everything, and also that, family love is... enough. One life is not really a single unit of a life. One life is actually many lives. We do not own our life entirely just to ourselves.
The narrative of an afterlife, at least in the Western societies, is heavily influenced by the Judeo-Christian myth and images, from Bible to Dante's Divine Comedy to Milton's Paradise Lost, we tend to think of afterlife in a binary term, heaven and hell. Buddhist tradition is more forgiving; their binary term would be rebirth and Nirvana. In Agnes Lee's novel, we get to glimpse the afterlife as told by another culture, another non-dominant religion, another myth not tainted by whites privileged discourse.
December 13, 2023
This compelling little book explores grief and loss through Kit, a young Korean American woman, and the loved ones she left behind. I appreciated the way their Korean culture played a role in Kit’s family’s lives as well as their grief, especially the kimchi.
The art in this book is simple but powerful and reflects its subject matter very well.
The art in this book is simple but powerful and reflects its subject matter very well.
March 29, 2024
A beautiful look at the afterlife and aftermath of a loss of a loved one.
September 9, 2025
A moving debut graphic novel. 49 Days is a journey through grief on both sides: those who lost and those who were lost. Rooted in Buddhist tradition, the 49 days represent the time between between life and rebirth, a sort of purgatory or limbo, that offers a time and place to reflect on the life that the deceased had lived. This novel gives snapshots of the life that Kit, the deceased, left behind through the interactions her family and friends have in her absence and the memories of her that they recall. It also walks you alongside Kit on her 49-day journey of discovery and acceptance in the place between life and death. The artwork is staggeringly emotional for how minimal it is. I could see and feel the motion and emotion between static panels: A mother sitting up. A mother lying down. A brother eating. A brother stopping. Two large white circles - headlights - on a black page. A black page. Acceptance is a large theme of this novel. 49 days is an interesting amount of time; my hypothesis is that it might line up with the duration of the stages of grief, but of course that can vary. This novel touches on familiar emotions in a fresh light. Like Kit’s family, I’d like to believe that the people who are gone can still hear us.
4.25/5 🫕
4.25/5 🫕
February 16, 2024
*Thank you netgalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this story*
What an emotional little graphic novel. In Buddhist traditions your soul must travel for 49 days before it fully moves on. I loved reading Kit's adventures for her 49 days of travel and how her friends and family's story is intertwined through each adventure. We get to feel the grief and emotions they're going through from the loss of a friend/daughter/sister. The story is deliberately left vague so the reader can interpret it in many different ways. Grief over a lost one isn't linear and you see that in this story. I loved the artwork and all the feelings that came from the illustrations.
What an emotional little graphic novel. In Buddhist traditions your soul must travel for 49 days before it fully moves on. I loved reading Kit's adventures for her 49 days of travel and how her friends and family's story is intertwined through each adventure. We get to feel the grief and emotions they're going through from the loss of a friend/daughter/sister. The story is deliberately left vague so the reader can interpret it in many different ways. Grief over a lost one isn't linear and you see that in this story. I loved the artwork and all the feelings that came from the illustrations.
March 27, 2024
This was so beautifully heartbreaking, I sobbed like a baby reading this.
The beauty of an incredibly limited color palette and use of progression through simple panels. The perfect execution of how we follow Kit's journey and those she left behind at the same time. In my top for 2024 for sure.
The beauty of an incredibly limited color palette and use of progression through simple panels. The perfect execution of how we follow Kit's journey and those she left behind at the same time. In my top for 2024 for sure.
April 7, 2024
if you asked me to define the term “bittersweet”, i would give you the title of this book. it was such a heartbreaking read disguised as a simple little graphic novel. i loved it. i have so many thoughts that are all jumbled together, but my main takeaway is that reading about these 49 days made me want to live my life a little more. <3
October 28, 2024
Blown away by how good this is. A Korean American girl, Kit, passes away, and according to Buddhist tradition must spend 49 days traveling before they can cross over. Her family is also coping with her passing.
July 25, 2024
this book caught me at a really vulnerable time and kind of obliterated what was left
January 31, 2025
To be loved, and to love.
June 10, 2025
Beautiful graphic novel, but I’m not sure I could have understood what was going on without reading the inside book jacket.
June 18, 2024
a beautiful little journey. i am crying at 9am.
February 14, 2024
3.5 stars
This graphic novel is inspired by Buddhist tradition and follows someone during the 49 days of travel after death. Kit, a Korean-American teenager, finds herself on this path sooner than expected and this story was heartbreaking. At first glance, the story may feel simplistic but the themes of death, grief, love, and loss are powerful. The story is told in two perspectives: Kit and her 49 days of travel, and the loved ones she left behind grieving the loss of a loved one. As Kit travels through these 49 days, we find her navigating difficult emotions and obstacles, paired with different flashbacks of her life. One thing to note is that this story didn't have a clear climax or resolution and in that regard, it fell a bit flat for me. However, I also found that to be beautiful as it opened up the story for your own reflections and interpretation. I don't think this story needed overt details to convey its powerful message.
Thank you NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This graphic novel is inspired by Buddhist tradition and follows someone during the 49 days of travel after death. Kit, a Korean-American teenager, finds herself on this path sooner than expected and this story was heartbreaking. At first glance, the story may feel simplistic but the themes of death, grief, love, and loss are powerful. The story is told in two perspectives: Kit and her 49 days of travel, and the loved ones she left behind grieving the loss of a loved one. As Kit travels through these 49 days, we find her navigating difficult emotions and obstacles, paired with different flashbacks of her life. One thing to note is that this story didn't have a clear climax or resolution and in that regard, it fell a bit flat for me. However, I also found that to be beautiful as it opened up the story for your own reflections and interpretation. I don't think this story needed overt details to convey its powerful message.
Thank you NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 20, 2024
Kit is a Korean American girl whose soul is in a transitional state, trapped between life and rebirth for 49 days.
Permeated by Buddhist tradition, 49 DAYS is a story about grief and healing. Kit relives memories of people she left behind and both of them are not ready to get over it. Lee draws glimpses with spare yet evocative black-and-white illustrations and minimal text, fully expressing the sentiments and making it meaningful. Kit's memories of her umma felt tangible, resonating in a way that unlocked my own memories with my mother. The vague tone often allows readers to have their own interpretation.
As devastating as it is heartwarming, this is a quiet story that renders a profound meditation on grief and loss. A beautiful graphic novel.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Levine Querido . All opinions are my own ]
Permeated by Buddhist tradition, 49 DAYS is a story about grief and healing. Kit relives memories of people she left behind and both of them are not ready to get over it. Lee draws glimpses with spare yet evocative black-and-white illustrations and minimal text, fully expressing the sentiments and making it meaningful. Kit's memories of her umma felt tangible, resonating in a way that unlocked my own memories with my mother. The vague tone often allows readers to have their own interpretation.
As devastating as it is heartwarming, this is a quiet story that renders a profound meditation on grief and loss. A beautiful graphic novel.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Levine Querido . All opinions are my own ]
February 10, 2024
In a narrative unlike any other,49 Days embarks on a graphic novel journey inspired by Buddhist tradition, highlighting the forty-nine days of travel after death before complete transcendence.
Through Agnes Lee's evative storytelling and captivating illustrations, the graphic novel intertwines themes of death, grief, and love, inviting readers to reevaluate their own perspectives on loss and resilience. By following Kit's emotional evolution and her encounters with spirits from both past and present, readers embark on a parallel journey of growth and understanding. The narrative not only serves as a testament to human vulnerability but also celebrates the strength found in community and enduring relationships. As Kit grapples with the intricacies of her own emotions and memories, readers are encouraged to confront their fears and uncertainties surrounding mortality. In this way,49 Days transcend cultural and spiritual boundaries, offering a universal message about the shared human experience of navigating life and death. Through the lens of Kit's poignant odyssey, Agnes Lee reminds us of the intrinsic value of connections forged in life and the profound impact of love that extends beyond the boundaries of time and space.
Through Agnes Lee's evative storytelling and captivating illustrations, the graphic novel intertwines themes of death, grief, and love, inviting readers to reevaluate their own perspectives on loss and resilience. By following Kit's emotional evolution and her encounters with spirits from both past and present, readers embark on a parallel journey of growth and understanding. The narrative not only serves as a testament to human vulnerability but also celebrates the strength found in community and enduring relationships. As Kit grapples with the intricacies of her own emotions and memories, readers are encouraged to confront their fears and uncertainties surrounding mortality. In this way,49 Days transcend cultural and spiritual boundaries, offering a universal message about the shared human experience of navigating life and death. Through the lens of Kit's poignant odyssey, Agnes Lee reminds us of the intrinsic value of connections forged in life and the profound impact of love that extends beyond the boundaries of time and space.
January 14, 2024
3.5 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌗
Thanks NetGalley, Levine Querido publisher and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!
I was very excited to read this comic when I saw the summary. I have always been curious about this topic. The story was beautiful, relaxing, tender, but at the same time, heart-breaking. I liked how the story was executed in parallel between the living world and the underworld (I thought so).
On the other hand, there were some drawbacks that I have noticed. The artwork was very confusing for me. It was nice, but maybe it needs improvements. I hope the story could be elaborated more because I was left hanging at the end of the comic. I felt like I didn't get much out of the story. There was no climax as well as resolution. From my point of view, the story fell flat.
🌕🌕🌕🌗
Thanks NetGalley, Levine Querido publisher and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!
I was very excited to read this comic when I saw the summary. I have always been curious about this topic. The story was beautiful, relaxing, tender, but at the same time, heart-breaking. I liked how the story was executed in parallel between the living world and the underworld (I thought so).
On the other hand, there were some drawbacks that I have noticed. The artwork was very confusing for me. It was nice, but maybe it needs improvements. I hope the story could be elaborated more because I was left hanging at the end of the comic. I felt like I didn't get much out of the story. There was no climax as well as resolution. From my point of view, the story fell flat.
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