Oh, my god, I LOVED this book! It has some rough spots (like, 99% of the book) but it has a happy ending and it is beautifully drawn. I am absolutely blown away by Thompson's artistic ability and the amount of detail that goes into each and every page. In this book in particular he uses the Arabic alphabet and art as influences and incorporates them into his drawings and the effect is just lovely.
I also admire the number of times he's able to draw naked women without making me feel like he's a pervert. There are a LOT of naked women in this book but it's almost always presented in a very matter-of-fact way. Such as in the harem when there's no one around except other women and eunuchs so they feel perfectly comfortable just lying around partially or completely naked. When the nudity is not presented in a matter-of-fact way it's there to make a very specific point and it does so effectively.
The story takes place over 15 years. Maybe more because we're never really told how much time the last few chapters cover. It's about a young girl and a young boy and how they grow up together, get separated, and find each other again as adults. It's also about slavery, race relations, sex, and religion. The two main characters are Muslim but Thompson makes a point of showing the differences and similarities between the Muslim version and the Christian version. Personally, I love that because, particularly at this time in our country's history, I love someone showing the things that make us similar rather than the things that make us different. Thompson both embraces Islam as an off-shoot of Christianity while simultaneously displaying the beliefs and practices which make it unique.
No comments:
Post a Comment