The Undertaking of Lily Chen

by Danica Novgorodoff

Danica Novgorodoff (Illustrator)

In The Undertaking of Lily Chen, Deshi, a hapless young man living in northern China, is suddenly expelled from ordinary life when his brother dies in an accident. Holding Deshi responsible for his brother's death, his parents send him on a mission to acquire a corpse bride to accompany his brother into the afterlife, in accordance with an ancient Chinese tradition that has many modern adherents. Eligible dead girls are in short supply, however. When Deshi falls into company with a young--and single--woman named Lily, he sees a solution to his problems. The only hitch is that willful, tart-tongued Lily is still very much alive. As Deshi and Lily adventure through a breathtaking mountain landscape, meeting a host of eccentric characters and dangerous adversaries along the way, Deshi just can't decide whether to kiss the girl or to kill her.

Danica Novgorodoff, author of Slow Storm and Refresh, Refresh, brings her distinctive voice and gorgeous, moody watercolors to this wry, beautiful, and surprising literary graphic novel.

• ISBN10: 1596435860
• ISBN13: 9781596435865
• Publish Date: 25 March 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Imprint: First Second
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 429
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

The Undertaking of Lily Chen caught my eye with it’s beautiful watercolor cover and the really interesting story line. It takes us on a journey where Deshi learns what it truly means to love and when it’s time to draw the line on tradition.

I’m not entirely sure if this ancient tradition exists or not, though it certainly seems like something that could have happened in the past, but I loved that Novgorodoff decided to tell a modern story with it. It’s hard to imagine what one would do in a situation like Deshi’s. There is a bit of personal growth for him as he travels with the very much alive Lily Chen, who is full of energy and personality. I would say my one complaint about the story was that at times the language used didn’t really fit.

The artwork is kind of simple and I was kind of disappointed with the way it looked overall, though I did love the watercolor’s used. The scenes where there was very little line work were among my favorites as the watercolors really help set the tone and mood for the scenes.

Overall The Undertaking of Lily Chen is a very unique story with some beautiful watercolors to help prove just how moody this piece is.