A Dark Undertaking
The Undertaking of Lily Chen is a dark, moodily atmospheric graphic novel with an odd, snatched from the headlines premise. Apparently, recently deceased women go missing in China because an old tradition dictates that unmarried men be married and buried with a female corpse to insure they have someone with whom to spend the afterlife.
And so Danica Novgorodoff has imagined a situation in which a young, rather hapless man named Deshi has accidentally killed his older brother, Wei. His parents first wish that Deshi had died instead of Wei, and then send Deshi off on an unsavory errand: to procure Wei’s corpse bride.
Deshi heads off with a sack of money, a lanky, cantankerous donkey, and a guilty conscience. Unable to bring himself to drag home the disinterred corpse suggested by a local grave digger, Deshi heads off on his own, and meets Lily Chen. It occurs to Deshi that he can kill Lily, and offer her as Wei’s corpse bride. Lily may not have Scheherazade’s 1,000 stories, but she does have moxie, big dreams and a mouth to match, and what in this book passes for a pretty face. And so Deshi’s problem is not solved quite so easily.
The art in The Undertaking of Lily Chen is quirky and unsettling. None of the characters, not even Lily, who is said to be quite pretty, is drawn in an entirely attractive way. The hues of the watercolors add to the twisted feel. What is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this graphic novel is the women’s issues explored. Lily Chen undertakes to save herself from an arranged marriage like the one that flashbacks hint Deshi’s mother has. Deshi undertakes to figure out just what to do with Lily and his responsibilities.
This graphic novel should appeal to young adults because of its coming of age issues and its dark twinge. Those who enjoy ghost stories like Jade Green, might like this. It could work well as a companion piece to some of Amy Tan’s work, as well.
