Until We Meet Again

 

Rating: 3 

My Thoughts:

The publishers ask the essential question below, "can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?" And yet I think this family, and Ms. Qian's story has nothing to do with the fact that they are immigrants. Her mother showed signs of mental distress even before they came to Canada, and even when her mother returned. The fact that her father, despite all of the trauma he goes through to help keep the family together, realizes that he needs to move them back to China in order to take care of his wife is really about the manifestation of the vows, "in sickness and in health." This memoir, then, is not just a coming of age book documenting the mental health struggles of both mother and daughter, but this is a love letter to her father who does the best that he can. 

Told in limited color  (basically the colors on the cover are the only colors used) with non traditional paneling, this book reads more like a noir picture book with some abstract metaphors used to set a tone. The graphics move like a camera, wide to extreme close up, to a shift in point of view. It just adds to the confusion of this main character as she tries so hard to make things right, or hide what is wrong. 

The telephone metaphor, the cutting of the string - the metaphors in here are deep and worthy of discussion. 

From the Publisher:

Lily isn't sure where home is anymore. Her family is constantly on the move, resettling

in different towns across Canada and, eventually, in Shanghai, China. Her father plays 

the role of primary caregiver while her mother is absent for long periods of time. 

When she reappears, her strange behavior turns Lily's life upside down. As Lily enters her 

college years, she strives to better understand her family and her place in the world. 

But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?

Publication Information:

Author/artist: Lily Kim Qian

Publisher: First Second (April 21, 2026)

Print length: 224 pages