Zenobia is not so much a novel as a fable, a vignette in a lost life…Zenobia highlights, with simple clarity, Syria's noble historical legacy as well as the plight of its modern people. Amina's short and tragic story, inspired no doubt by 2015's searing media image of the drowned Syrian child Alan Kurdi, is harrowing and instructive.
The New York Times Book Review - Elizabeth Wein
12/17/2018
Global news stories have brought urgent attention to the Syrian children who have drowned as they fled their war-ravaged country; this bleak, skillfully crafted graphic novel, translated from the Danish, personalizes the headlines by imagining one child’s experience. In an opening scene, a boat perilously overfilled with refugees floats on a calm sea. Then a storm arrives, the waves surge, and a girl is flung into open water. As she begins to descend, she revisits scenes from her desperate journey: sparse wartime meals, her parents’ disappearance, and her terrifying, multi-day walk to the sea, where her uncle places her on board the dangerously packed vessel. Along the way, she finds courage and comfort by considering her mother’s stories of Zenobia, an ancient Syrian queen. Dürr uses few words, allowing Horneman’s uncluttered panels to tell most of the heartrending story. Indicating past and present, land and sea with skillful palette shifts, Horneman provides just enough detail to evoke the grim contexts while keeping readers focused on the child. The combined restraint of both the pictures and words powerfully amplifies the astonishing tragedy of the girl’s fate, creating an unforgettable story that will stay with teens and adults alike. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)
"Zenobia is not so much a novel as a fable, a vignette in a lost life. ... [It] highlights, with simple clarity, Syria’s noble historical legacy as well as the plight of its modern people. Amina’s short and tragic story...is harrowing and instructive." —The New York Times Book Review "Haunting and powerful. With very few words, Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman show all the devastation and despair of the Syrian refugee crisis." —Alan Gratz, author of the New York Time s bestseller, Refugee "Deceptively spare, this timely and important offering is a must-read, helping bring greater understanding and empathy to a situation that for many feels far away. Graphic storytelling at its most powerful." —Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The combined restraint of both the pictures and words powerfully amplifies the astonishing tragedy of the girl’s fate, creating an unforgettable story that will stay with teens and adults alike." — Publishers Weekly "This beautifully-wrought and completely devastating Danish graphic novel will probably make you angry. Or at least it should make you angry ... It’s a brief book that packs a wallop of emotion of its own, especially anger. More than anything, Zenobia is the story of what happens when groups of people lose compassion for strangers. It’s the story of how things play out when difference is made the primary arbiter of how you qualify the worth of people. It’s a story that so many of us are in some manner, directly or indirectly, complicit." —Comics Beat "Dürr, an award-winning Danish writer of more than 50 titles, makes his North American debut here, and his sparse, sharp text is wondrously visualized by prodigious compatriot Horneman." —Booklist "Zenobia is a remarkable book that sends a strong message about one of the world’s most persistent crises. Its power lies in its visual simplicity and a very few poignant words but, above all, it is impossible not to identify with Amina and her parents and uncle. Their story becomes your own; their family, your own family. In short, if any book can be perfect, this is it." — ArtsHub "Deeply moving" — Jyllands Posten (Denmark) "Powerful and haunting, Zenobia keeps your mind on edge as you flee war, hand in hand with a Syrian girl, connecting dots from history, holding your breath for a future with hope." —N.H. Senzai, author of Escape from Aleppo
09/01/2018Gr 6–8— As Amina, a young Syrian refugee journeying by sea, is thrown off a boat by a huge wave and sinks into the deep water, she reflects on what brought her here. She remembers playing hide-and-seek and making dolmas with her mother. Her parents left, saying they would be home soon, and her mother reminded her to be strong like Zenobia, the queen of Syria in the old days. When her parents didn't return, her uncle took her away. Scenes of Amina in the water are illustrated in full color, while her memories are depicted in sepia tones, and striking hues of peach and indigo are used for the story of Zenobia. The comic alternates between large panels and full-page illustrations and is paired with spare text, making it a quick read. Owing to the difference in lengths between the Danish and English translations, some text boxes contain extra white space. Readers may not feel that invested in this moving but slight narrative. There's little context about the war in Syria, but educators might want to use the book as a jumping-off point for a more detailed discussion. The tale ends on a hopeless note that may be upsetting to sensitive readers. VERDICT Pair with Eoin Colfer's Illegal to start a dialogue on refugees and immigration.—Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL
★ 2018-08-01
A young Syrian refugee tries to flee the horrors of war in this Danish import.
In this nearly wordless graphic novel, Amina is a young Syrian girl living in the midst of violent conflict. Instructed by her parents to wait as they venture out for help, she remains home for days when they don't come back, as the tanks and fighter planes thunder around her small home. An uncle arrives to inform her that her parents will not be returning and she must leave immediately. With only enough money for a single passage, Amina finds herself alone on an overcrowded boat. In one heart-stopping moment, the congested vessel capsizes, throwing her overboard. While descending into the waves, she recalls happy memories of her parents, playing hide-and-seek and making sarmas with her mother. She also remembers their stories of Zenobia, an ancient Syrian queen who defeated the Romans, and the strength that she signifies. Amina's journey is tragic and will leave readers with much to reflect upon and discuss. Horneman's large, compelling, and evocative panels brilliantly portray Amina's struggles, infusing recollections of joy into moments of terror. Panels alternate between past and present, with the past rendered in a two-color earth-toned scheme and the present depicted in vivid full color. Deceptively spare, this timely and important offering is a must-read, helping bring greater understanding and empathy to a situation that for many feels far away.
Graphic storytelling at its most powerful. (Graphic fiction. 8-14)