The Nightingales. Emil Wilson. Simon & Schuster. 2026. 416pp. $38.
Review by Henry Chamberlain
Emil Wilson has a very compelling story to tell and he dives deep into his storytelling skills to tell it. I can honestly say this is the most original work in comics that I’ve read this year. For those aspiring cartoonists out there who desire to create a spark with their work, here is a prime example. Tell a story from the heart. Wilson’s story takes the reader back to 1985, an era of great shifts, forward and backward, fraught with turmoil. Into a modest little town in Oregon, a sign of the times arrives and makes himself at home. This is Jim, who has taken ill and, with no family or friends to speak of, has been invited into the home of Donald, his co-worker at the local courthouse. Donald has his own family and issues to focus on but he decides to take in a stranger. Donald withholds from his wife, Annemarie, and his daughter, Lou, that Jim has AIDS.
This is a story that we see from various viewpoints, none the least of which is Lou, who is completing her senior year in high school and virtually only a few steps out the door into a life of her own. At this pivotal time in her life, Lou’s father decides, out of the blue, to bring home a stranger who is dying from AIDS. How does this factor into her own life? Lou is hesitant to the idea at first but steadily warms up to Jim, who is a deep well of insight and genuine goodwill. For such an unfolding narrative, Emil Wilson delivers a groundbreaking comics path. That sort of thing doesn’t happen all that often and, when it does, it needs to be honored. Wilson has added a new wrinkle into the mix, truly making the pages come to life. His framework is a sketchbook, filled page after page with various drawings, markings, notes and ephemera. Some of the dialogue is kept within traditional word balloons and a good bit of it is kept within the bounds of script notes, on Post-Its, like a play or screenplay. And it is all held together by a steady and flowing narrative. At no time did I feel like I was taken out of the story.
As a comic artist myself, I can tell you that it is always an interesting crossroads to take when you’re looking over a series of sketches that may or may not make their way into the finished work. Sometimes, you just want to take this or that sketch, lift it out and pin it down into the final work, because it’s so loose and powerful just as it is. That sort of vibe is at play in this book. I’m sure that Wilson had a wonderful, and challenging time, working his way through all the artwork that was generated during the making of this story. For him to, in essence, find a third way with his work is remarkable. Of course, we can thank Emil Ferris for clearing the way with her own monumental work, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, often evoking art and notes from a sketchbook. That said, Wilson brings home something different and new he can call his own. You can’t rush these kind of developments and it is clear to me that Wilson took his time and thoughtfully crafted this book with integrity.
I encourage you to seek out this heart-felt coming-of-age graphic novel that is going to stay with me for a very long time. Emil Wilson makes it look easy but there’s really nothing easy about making comics, at least not genuinely worthwhile comics that will stand the test of time. And, if you happen to be in the area, by all means, meet Emil Wilson at one of these upcoming book events:
Book Passage (Ferry Building) – August 4 at 5:30 pm
1 Ferry Building Plaza, San Francisco
Powell’s Books – August 5 at 7:00 pm
1005 W Burnside Street, Portland, OR
Elliott Bay Book Company – August 6 at 7:00 pm
1521 10th Ave, Seattle
