REVIEW | Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu

AUTHOR: Mari Ahokoivu

TRANSLATOR: Silja-Maaria Aronpuro

GENRE: FICTION - GRAPHIC NOVEL

ISBN: 9789525909319

RELEASE DATE: Aug 2018

EDITION RELEASE DATE: OCT 26th 2021

PAGES: 367 PAGES

WRITTEN LANGUAGE: Finnish

EDITION LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

OKSI left me with so many thoughts and feelings that I can’t articulate. This illustrated graphic novel centered around a pair of bear mother and daughter that is based on Finnish bear mythology.

We follows a bear cub who is different from other cubs, and kind of looked down by its siblings. Longing for recognization from its mom, the cub went on a journey of searching for its origins. On the journey the cub learnt magic and encounters many peculiar events.

So many things mixed in the story. It’s whimsical and very dark, mysterious and twisting. It covers so many things like seeking for meanings, greediness and emptiness, family and communication, journey and destination, and the connection of the spiritual world and the real word.

I liked the illustrations as much as the story. Only four major colors are used in the book. Black, white, red and yellow. The combination of these can have thrilling effects.