I would say this book is amazingly well done and the artist, Shuan Tan, is great artist. As re-reading this book after I learn about the graphic comics, Maybe this books is not good for someone want to see great character development, but you will still get the idea who is the main character is. The artist expressed the story and also the emotions of the characters without any single words which makes this book amazing, because it requires more detailed visual element in composition, characters' facial expression, and also the mood in every single moment. Although this book sometimes lost you because there are no text which works basic connection between before and after drawings this book is worth to pay attention more to see all the details.
The part I also want to point out was the all the design Shaun Tan did from the beginning and at the end. Until I discuss this book in the class, I did not know that this story is about the immigration. I thought it would be him looking for the someone since he was showing some papers to other people. Anyway after knowing the fact that what story is aiming for I finally could understand the artist's idea putting many weird looking animals, building or anything you could find. The town where he used to live seems really dark and scary place, which shows no hope. This is why he left his family and get a new job in the new place. The new place illustrated beautiful and amazing since he was full of hope. As exposing to other people and new environment, his story was mixed up with others and it shows they are communicating about same experiences of going through with old and new things. It is quite hard to tell when other person's story started, which I had to go back and forth to see the different perspective story.
This is not perfect book, but this is the one of the most impressive book in the all the course I had in the class. It was great experience get to know these type of comics.