Girl meets boy. Girl loses boy. Girl and boy are reunited, but with issues. That part seems straightforward enough, but this telling of the simultaneously heartrending and heart warming version of a traditional tale is unlike any other. The structure of the relationship of Dodola and Zam is constructed on legends from the Holy Quran. Their tribulations unfold in a graphic novel bursting with images of Middle Eastern cultures, both historic and contemporary, Islamic designs, and Arabic lettering. The more you know about Islam before entering the text, the more you will gain, but even with limited knowledge, Craig Thompson’s retelling of Old Testament stories (also part of the Quran) are fascinating. His drawings are warm and thoughtful, his main characters respectable and real, and the plot is part 1,001 Arabian Nights and part Quran lesson. As a package the book flies by.
Book Reviews, Environment/Nature/Ag, FICTION, FOUR STARS ****, Graphic Novel/Graphic Non-Fiction, Islam, Middle East