Illustrator Maya Ish-Shalom's silent book explores the elusive concept of belonging

Maya Ish-Shalom is an illustrator from Tel-Aviv, Israel, who's known for crafting digital and hand-drawn illustrations for books, brands, ad campaigns, animations and publications including the New York Times, FT and Washington Post.

She has just released her first graphic novel, a deeply intimate—and obviously timely— exploration of displacement, identity and the elusive concept of belonging.

Home Bound is published by Salomon & Daughters, a small independent publishing house dedicated to publishing visual books for adults, including graphic novels, comics, visual poetics and picture books.

Open book showing Maya Ish-Shalom's Home Bound graphic novel with a sepia-toned illustration of a bridge over water leading to a city skyline on the left page and the title on the right

Pages from Home Bound depicting tall pointed buildings and figures in a minimalist, monochromatic illustration style

Double-page spread from Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound showing illustrated scenes of a woman with a suitcase near a train and figures on a pier

Two-page spread from Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound showing silhouetted figures, a woman with a suitcase, and people on a bicycle in a stylised urban landscape

An open spread from Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound showing a woman surrounded by household objects and speech bubbles containing handwritten text in a muted colour palette

Challengingly, each of its 160 pages relies on pictures alone to convey the story. "Home Bound is a silent book that tells about the story of a woman and her suitcase getting off a train searching for a place to call home," Maya explains.

"The narrative unfolds in a drawn world that shifts between surrealism and dystopia, fairytale and horror, and between futurism and naturalism, portraying both an external and internal journey toward home."

A search for connection

For Maya, this story represents not only a physical search for a place to settle but also a deep exploration of belonging, safety and connection.

Pages from Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound, showing black and white illustrations of a woman with a suitcase and various scenes exploring themes of displacement and belonging

Silhouette illustration showing figures sitting on stacked white platforms against a black background, depicting scenes of isolation and displacement from Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound

Montage of black and white illustrations showing figures climbing and descending various staircases and steps in different urban settings and perspectives

Black and white illustration showing a woman in an interior space reaching towards a starry night sky visible through a window, with furniture and household items surrounding her

A figure with a suitcase stands in a parking lot beside a white campervan, viewed from above in isometric perspective

"The book emerged from my own experience of searching for a place to belong," she says. "After living in New York for seven years, feeling somewhat between worlds, I returned three years ago to my homeland, Israel, to create a renewed home for myself and my family."

The return wasn't a simple matter, though. "It raised questions about identity and belonging, what makes a place feel like home, and why some places feel comforting while others feel alien," she explains.

Editorial influence

Maya, a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, brings her considerable editorial illustration experience to bear on this intensely personal project. Her visual language is both precise and dreamlike, reflecting her own experiences of living between worlds.

This internal landscape becomes external in Home Bound, where each environment the protagonist encounters represents a psychological state rather than a mere geographical location.

Black and white illustration showing silhouettes of diverse people on an urban street, some with bicycles and a pram, navigating a crowded public space with buildings and power lines

White van with pieces of dark debris exploding upwards from its roof, while figures stand nearby on a grey landscape

Monochrome illustration showing a silhouetted figure walking past stylised houses and tall structures in a minimalist landscape, evoking displacement and search for home

Front and back covers of Maya Ish-Shalom's graphic novel Home Bound, featuring bold red covers with silhouettes of a woman and suitcase against brown backgrounds

A significant voice

Technically remarkable and emotionally profound, Home Bound establishes Maya as a significant voice in contemporary graphic storytelling.

Her ability to communicate complex emotional terrains through pure visual narrative marks her as an artist of considerable depth and sophistication.

Overall, the book is not just a personal story but a universal meditation on human movement, searching, and the perpetual negotiation of belonging in an increasingly fragmented world.