Seven years after the fourth volume in English, Fantagraphics resumes Riad Sattouf's series with the volume that concludes his autobiographical story. This first installment begins right after the father's escape to Syria with little Fadi. The French mother falls into a deep depression, while the grandparents intervene to recover the child.
Graphic narrative as a driver of historical revision 📖
Sattouf employs a simple yet effective drawing style, with panels alternating between quiet moments and scenes of high emotional tension. The comic's structure relies on time jumps to contextualize the conflict between Syrian and French culture. The author does not judge; he merely presents the facts with an almost documentary gaze, using humor as a release valve in extreme situations.
When your father takes your brother to a civil war 🚨
Because yes, sometimes family plans include moving to an armed conflict zone without warning. While Riad's father believes Syria is an earthly paradise, his ex-wife tries to survive the most epic existential slump in European comics. Good thing the grandparents step in to the rescue, even if it's just to ask: when did the family dinner turn into an international rescue operation 😅