Set against a Brazilian backdrop, Daytripper follows the life of Brás de Oliva Domingos in a jumbled array of ten chapters. With a job writing obituaries, but aspiring to be an author, Brás is the “daytripper” in question. He dreams of a number of other paths that his life could have taken as he runs from his own lived reality.

The plot was simply enchanting, enthralling by nature, and I found that I could not stop reading. A courageous study of mortality and the dreams that make us human, this graphic novel was incredibly hard to put down.

The authors of the book wanted to make a world that would not only look real, but “that would feel real” as well, and this book feels arguably too real at times. Highlighting the tragedies of life for the paths that were not taken, there is an undercurrent of sorrow to the story that delivers an aching tenderness that you almost don’t want to face.

The illustrations would gnaw at me and produce strong, palpable feelings both when the subject matter being depicted was positive and negative. The art held a wealth of emotion that never failed to convey an optimism for life, even when the tones of the story turned dark. At each turn of the page I found myself in awe at the rich and vibrant world that was unraveling before me. I was beyond impressed at the artistic ability and the obvious command over anatomy, clear to be seen (especially as drawing anatomy is something that I personally struggle with), and every stroke of the brush was purposeful: from the great sweeping backgrounds to the finest and smallest details.

It all came together so brilliantly; even the seemingly most inconsequential thing worked to further enrich the wider story at large. Though, the sibling authors had written that despite the plan they made for their book to follow, some of the stories “took a turn to unexpected places. Happy accidents.”

I guess you can say that the development of this book was very true to a life long lived!

And, like the lives of you and me, Brás’s own life, though he comes to realise this gradually, is enriched by the people that he meets and the interactions that he has. Success and stardom are very lonely without the connections that we make and without love. Without love between family, friends and partners.

Without a love of life.

This story is a contemplation of mortality and fate. Of life in all its beautiful and ugly glory. Of the dreams, the family ties and the friendships that shape us. Simply, it was about life as it should be, making Daytripper undoubtedly one of the most profound works of fiction that I have ever read and it will now hold a permanent place on my bookshelf so that I might revisit it again in the future!