Not only was I forced to consider my wastefulness, but also my comparatively sprawling home and sometimes inhospitable attitudes. Of course, when the characters expressed so much joy and appreciation for a washed head of lettuce, I felt horribly guilty knowing there’s a half-rotted head in my refrigerator at home. The concepts that set me to pondering were: a) the creation and recreation of “normal” through routines “organized around cease-fires” and also during bombings b) the meanings of community and family as they play out in the story c) the important role of memories in light of reality and uncertain futures d) repurposing of space and evolving definitions of home, privacy, security, and family. The author doesn’t shy away from what is going on outside the apartment and never lets you forget what is happening, but just as the characters (and I do mean characters) have created their own version of reality during bombings and during ceasefires, Abirached draws you into that reality and you forget you’re sitting safe and sound holding a book. The artwork is sufficiently innocent, providing a stark contrast (just as stark as the black and white pages) to the wartime setting. The subject matter seemed incongruous with the format, yet now that I’ve experienced it, I can’t imagine a better way of approaching it. Disappointed.Ī Game for Swallows was my first foray into a graphic texts. I was hoping this could replace 'Persepolis' for us as senior summer reading. There's just no emotional impact, and so I'm honestly quite surprised by all the high ratings here. Similarly, the story's ending seems a bit rushed - all over in about ten pages. You never get to see the parents interact with the kids, so when the story starts there isn't an established bond. The story starts in media res, which I think is a mistake. Unfortunately, the story didn't move me very much either. With that said, Abirached's visuals lack the nuance and quiet subtleties that really made Satrapi's graphic novels. I get that Satrapi can't own the whole black-and-white genre, but really, the similarities between the two go beyond the shading. As a person lacking creativity, as a non-artist, perhaps I'm being too hard, a bit too critical. Zeina Abirached owes a lot to Satrapi, as the art style is really, really similar to 'Persepolis.' The artistic similarities, along with the narrative's perspective, make the work feel a bit too familiar.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the artistic similarities here between this graphic novel and Marjane Satrapi's 'Persepolis' graphic novels.

Neighbors stop by, some worrying ensues, we get a backstory or two, then the graphic novel ends.

It tells the story of two children spending the night in their foyer while their parents are stuck just blocks away behind the east/west barricade.

'A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return' didn't do much for me.

A Game for Swallows by Zeina Abirached