3 Review(s)

VOLUME 2 IN THE UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD Riad Sattouf continues his heart-rending, darkly comic story of a childhood spent split between France and the Middle East in The Arab of the Future 2. 'I tore through it... The most enjoyable graphic novel I've read in a while' Zadie Smith 'I joyously recommend this book to you' Mark Haddon 'Riad Sattouf is one of the great creators of our time' Alain De Botton 'Beautifully-written and drawn, witty, sad, fascinating... Brilliant' Simon Sebag Montefiore Now settled in his father's village of Ter Maaleh near Homs, Riad finally begins school, where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of the dictator Hafez Al-Assad. Told simply yet with devastating effect, Riad's story takes in the sweep of Middle Eastern life of the 1980s, but it is steered by acutely observed small moments: the daily sadism of his schoolteachers, the cruelty and vulnerability of his fellow students, and the obsequiousness of his father in the company of those close to the regime. And as the family strains to fit in, one chilling, barbaric act drives the Sattoufs to take the most dramatic of steps. Immediate and gripping, The Arab of the Future 2 once again reveals the inner workings of a tormented country and a tormented family, delivered through Riad Sattouf 's dazzlingly original graphic style. Translated by Sam Taylor. ***THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE - THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION*** A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR | AN OBSERVER GRAPHIC BOOK OF THE YEAR | A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOKS OF THE YEAR | #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER | WINNER OF THE FAUVE D'OR PRIZE FOR BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR | WINNER OF THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR GRAPHIC NOVELS | NOMINATED FOR 'BEST REALITY-BASED WORK' AT THE EISNER AWARDS