Walking Shadows: A Novel without Words

by Neil Bousfield

Winner of the Rebecca Smith Award for Fine Art In this uniquely beautiful wordless graphic novel, a working-class family struggles to make ends meet and raise their children in a relentless world of economic challenges. The story of Walking Shadows is told through full-page woodcut engravings. Each page is a hyper-detailed Expressionist work of Social Realism suitable for framing. This book can be enjoyed both as graphic novel narrative and as a gift of impeccable art. Winner of the prestigious Rebecca Smith Award for Fine Art, this debut publication is unparalleled among modern works for its incredible visual details created in an uncommon medium, as well as the beauty of its deeply heartfelt narrative that speaks to common experience in these hard times.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Art, Adult, Literature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[R J Royer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is incredibly depressing and sad as well you get an amazing taste for life in a revolving door society that seems to create the sort of people that is just pushed into that sort of role.

The art is amazing and I recommend this one to everyone.

Ilu eh

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This guy really hates french fries.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLEAK BLEAK BLEAK so bleak jesus christ...Its like the author entered himself in a bleakness contest...

Stunning woodcuts tho, really visually striking. Though the children suffered from mideval baby jesus syndrome and looked like tiny cantankerous adults. Had top of the world by the dixie chicks stuck in my head the whole time. Feel grateful for my life and family.

I got a little confused near the end because I had some trouble differentiating the brothers. Who was the pregnant lady, was that one brother's wife? What is the ending? Why were there mltiple car crashes?

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really quite a moving story, and the images are so detailed and mood-invoking. My main problem was with his depictions of women and children. To me, the kids looked like miniature adults, and the women had so many lines to emphasize their hips and breasts. Unnecessarily exaggerated in my opinion.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wordless graphic novel has striking images, depicting a family's experiences with poverty, domestic abuse, alcoholism and other obstacles. I kept finding myself wanting to know more about the characters, though. Dialogue, or even just chapter titles, would have strengthened this work for me.

[Eleanor Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Whatever your age, background, or language you have, pictures speak to everyone"- Neil Bousfield.

This is a quiet novel- as the title implies, a novel without words. This means that in order to tell the story, the images need to be well drafted and easy to read, and Bousfield has achieved that.

I like the aesthetic of the woodcuts themselves, and the story which I personally received from the book was sad and really makes you realise how sh#t life can be to people, how the smallest events can change the direction of life's trajectory at the click of a finger.

It's a very deep book with heavy topics, so not a light read even though one can read it quickly without words.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully done. The smallest details are magnificently rendered using a block print style. Easily one of the best in this art field.

Wordless novels can be interpreted in different ways by different people, but it is clear that this is a depressing story. A slice of life for a downtrodden family. I would have given this book 5 stars but it made me feel gloomy and downhearted after reading it. Even though bringing out emotions is a sign of brilliant art work I did not like how I felt after reading it.

[TiYana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally love this book so far because it is a picture book. I like it because the pictures has meaning and it can be confusing. This book relies on your imagination and what you think is happening in the book based off of what the pictures are explaining and what is going on in the story. There are some twist and mystery in this story. It kind of becomes sad because of the decisions made by the people and the background story.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this came out of a project and I hope it helps some people but I just found it depressing, sorry. Maybe I read it too fast - is there a glimmer of hope at the end?

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random Half Price Books pickup back in 2009 and now is a good a time as any to get to it.

Winner of the Rebecca Smith Award for Fine Art and told through full page woodcut engravings, this story is about the effects of intergenerational poverty and trauma. It is, of course, devastating, but the artwork truly is unmatched.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting and beautiful exploration into cycles of violence and poverty. I'd give the art 4 stars, but the book as a whole only 3. It was sometimes hard to follow, but the afterward by the author was very illuminating.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was amazing but the story was super depressing!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting narrative told with woodcut images and without any words/dialogue.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, depressing, yet deeply humanizing imagery.