This was the first pick of the season for my new-to-me book club. I don’t often see graphic novels selected as book club picks, and I eagerly picked up a copy (what book buying ban?). Book clubs are best for helping us pick up books we wouldn’t have read otherwise, and while I do read graphic novels, I don’t know I would have read this one otherwise. And I’m so glad I did.

Shadow Life is about Kumiko, an elderly woman who escapes from the long-term care home that she was placed in by her children, to live her life on her own terms. However, not long after moving into her little apartment, she starts to see shadows following her, and ends up fighting death itself, with the help of a small community that she has built around her.

I loved this book. There is a certain amount of ambiguity as to what Kumiko is actually experiencing. Is the demon stealing her meds a manifestation of dementia or truly death’s shadow trying to take her down? Or is it both? If it is real to her, does it really matter?

Through it all she perseveres, going to the pool for exercise, emailing her children to confirm that she is still alive, cooking, and living her life. The suspense of the shadows following Kumiko through her day, and making attempts on her life, made me want to speed read it, but the tension is ramped up to a climax that I won’t forget soon. While the book features death, it is ultimately about life, and what we live for.

What I also personally appreciated is the book was set on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, where I previously lived. It is beautifully represented; I was able to identify many of the background landmarks, and made me homesick for that time of my life. That being said, the book’s illustrations are perfect. In black and white and shades of grey, they add mystery and mood, boosting the story to the next level. I will absolutely be revisiting this book in the years to come.