- 12 Dec, 2025 *
Illegal was a compelling read, with an especially emotional moment in the scene of Ebo’s brother’s death. The narrative arc handled the epic tone very well, and the choice to structure the story along two timelines was highly successful—both in the writing and in Rigano’s artwork, which leans toward a lightly stylized realism, balanced by strong, saturated colors. The contrast of blue and yellow tones marking the timeline shifts made the panels visually striking. The scenes on the boat were my favorites. At the beginning of the journey, I was concerned about the narrative choice of making Ebo a good singer—a device that can easily be…
- 12 Dec, 2025 *
Illegal was a compelling read, with an especially emotional moment in the scene of Ebo’s brother’s death. The narrative arc handled the epic tone very well, and the choice to structure the story along two timelines was highly successful—both in the writing and in Rigano’s artwork, which leans toward a lightly stylized realism, balanced by strong, saturated colors. The contrast of blue and yellow tones marking the timeline shifts made the panels visually striking. The scenes on the boat were my favorites. At the beginning of the journey, I was concerned about the narrative choice of making Ebo a good singer—a device that can easily become sentimental, cheesy, or even a bit embarrassing. But the solution was well executed, and it made sense as a way for him to earn money in the cities. However, the resolutions for Ebo’s fever and for his reunion with Sisi felt a bit forced. In the latter case, I understand that for the target audience, the hopeful message carried by that reunion is important, and it provides a satisfying closure to the arc. Even so, the alternative—an “open ending” with Ebo alone in Italy, forced to search for other Ghanaians—would have been more coherent not only with reality but also with the overall tone of the book. Still, I thought the authors succeeded in bringing the adventure to the page without falling into hard-to-swallow clichés or promoting specific agendas, focusing instead on portraying the human condition at the center of this desperate flight. They prevent “illegals” from being seen only through a bureaucratic lens and instead present them as human beings—our fellow human beings. The causes of the escape and the question of how best to address them are left to the reader, who is now invited to reflect with a more human understanding of the issue.
Author: Eoin Colfer (🇮🇪), Andrew Donkin (🇬🇧) Illustrator: Giovani Rigano (🇮🇹) Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2018 (🇺🇸 edition)