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Night Fisher
Johnson, R. Kikuo. Night Fisher. Fantagraphics Books Inc. (7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA 98115), 2005. 144p. ISBN 1-56097-719-1 (pa), $12.95. Illus (b&w).
Does living in paradise mean that your adolescence will be paradise as well? In Johnson’s debut graphic novel, he intends to inform readers that, no, just because you live surrounded by beauty, high school is never easy for the majority of people who attend. It’s the same with the main character of Night Fisher. The protagonist, Loren Foster, had moved from Boston with his dentist father to Maui six years ago, but even after all these years; he still hasn’t been able to adjust to island living. Now a high school senior, he finds his life becoming even more strained as his schoolwork, home life, and social world become harder to deal with. Trying to keep up with his best friend Shane Hokama, Loren soon finds himself getting more involved with the seamier underbelly of the tropical paradise where he lives.
What is really great about this work is the realism of the setting that Johnson writes. Yes, this book is a “coming of age” story, but it’s set in Hawaii and the setting is as extremely important to the story as much as it is to the main character. Between scenes of Loren interacting with Shane, readers are given bits of Hawaiian history, about its flora and fauna, as well as facts about topics ranging from the island’s well-known ice epidemic to how Las Vegas is called the “ninth Hawaiian island.” These little details of Hawaiian culture are brief, but shine true as Johnson was born and raised in Maui, where the story is set. The graphics are made of black and white illustrations, with little to no tone in most panels. The stark nature of Johnson’s drawings are a real contrast to most graphic novels today which use a variety of eye catching colors as well as a multitude of dialogue to accompany each panel. Johnson’s sparse use of dialogue makes everything that a character says important, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps that the characters themselves do not fill in when they speak to each other, much like real human dialogue. Readers are to infer by both the character’s body language and speech what exactly is happening and what the character himself is feeling at the moment. Readers watch the story unfold through Loren, but even we are not truly given all the details. There is no true inner monologue from which the readers know exactly what Loren is feeling and thinking of at that moment. When we do get something besides dialogue, it is mostly narration rather then moments of emotional or mental epiphanies. Though sometimes confusing (there were times when readers are dropped into a flashback or a dream sequence without warning), Johnson’s graphic novel is still compelling in its story as well as its depiction of what it means to grow up instead of just growing older.
Overall, I do believe that this graphic novel would be well received in the Young Adults section of public libraries, especially libraries here in Hawaii, considering the location this story is set in. Readers who live in Hawaii will find no trouble in believing the plot or its characters, as both ring true in the reader’s daily life. I would also recommend this graphic novel to high school libraries since I believe that high schoolers would be able to sympathize or relate to Loren and understand the pressures he is under, though I must warn that this graphic novel does portray drug use and petty thievery. I do not believe that this novel recommends these vices, and considering the ending, I’m sure the author also views these activities negatively, as these actions in the story did little to help the situation and in fact only exacerbated the problems that Loren was dealing with.
I’m sure that if librarians read Night Fisher they will also see that this graphic novel would be a great addition to our collections, especially when it has been named as one of Booklist’s top 10 graphic Novels of 2005, has been selected for inclusion in the New York Public Library's “Books for the Teen Age 2006,” and was being named one of Time's best comics of 2005. Just because this work is made up of illustrations does not negatively impact its content in the slightest way. In fact, its format allows readers to dive right into the story, fleshing out the characters and setting without slowing down the action for its readers to settle in, which makes it perfect for the average young adult patron.
Does living in paradise mean that your adolescence will be paradise as well? In Johnson’s debut graphic novel, he intends to inform readers that, no, just because you live surrounded by beauty, high school is never easy for the majority of people who attend. It’s the same with the main character of Night Fisher. The protagonist, Loren Foster, had moved from Boston with his dentist father to Maui six years ago, but even after all these years; he still hasn’t been able to adjust to island living. Now a high school senior, he finds his life becoming even more strained as his schoolwork, home life, and social world become harder to deal with. Trying to keep up with his best friend Shane Hokama, Loren soon finds himself getting more involved with the seamier underbelly of the tropical paradise where he lives.
What is really great about this work is the realism of the setting that Johnson writes. Yes, this book is a “coming of age” story, but it’s set in Hawaii and the setting is as extremely important to the story as much as it is to the main character. Between scenes of Loren interacting with Shane, readers are given bits of Hawaiian history, about its flora and fauna, as well as facts about topics ranging from the island’s well-known ice epidemic to how Las Vegas is called the “ninth Hawaiian island.” These little details of Hawaiian culture are brief, but shine true as Johnson was born and raised in Maui, where the story is set. The graphics are made of black and white illustrations, with little to no tone in most panels. The stark nature of Johnson’s drawings are a real contrast to most graphic novels today which use a variety of eye catching colors as well as a multitude of dialogue to accompany each panel. Johnson’s sparse use of dialogue makes everything that a character says important, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps that the characters themselves do not fill in when they speak to each other, much like real human dialogue. Readers are to infer by both the character’s body language and speech what exactly is happening and what the character himself is feeling at the moment. Readers watch the story unfold through Loren, but even we are not truly given all the details. There is no true inner monologue from which the readers know exactly what Loren is feeling and thinking of at that moment. When we do get something besides dialogue, it is mostly narration rather then moments of emotional or mental epiphanies. Though sometimes confusing (there were times when readers are dropped into a flashback or a dream sequence without warning), Johnson’s graphic novel is still compelling in its story as well as its depiction of what it means to grow up instead of just growing older.
Overall, I do believe that this graphic novel would be well received in the Young Adults section of public libraries, especially libraries here in Hawaii, considering the location this story is set in. Readers who live in Hawaii will find no trouble in believing the plot or its characters, as both ring true in the reader’s daily life. I would also recommend this graphic novel to high school libraries since I believe that high schoolers would be able to sympathize or relate to Loren and understand the pressures he is under, though I must warn that this graphic novel does portray drug use and petty thievery. I do not believe that this novel recommends these vices, and considering the ending, I’m sure the author also views these activities negatively, as these actions in the story did little to help the situation and in fact only exacerbated the problems that Loren was dealing with.
I’m sure that if librarians read Night Fisher they will also see that this graphic novel would be a great addition to our collections, especially when it has been named as one of Booklist’s top 10 graphic Novels of 2005, has been selected for inclusion in the New York Public Library's “Books for the Teen Age 2006,” and was being named one of Time's best comics of 2005. Just because this work is made up of illustrations does not negatively impact its content in the slightest way. In fact, its format allows readers to dive right into the story, fleshing out the characters and setting without slowing down the action for its readers to settle in, which makes it perfect for the average young adult patron.
Reviewed by Darcy Abe, LIS student, University of Hawaii at Manoa, April 2007.
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