Sabrina by Nick Drnaso

Mousetrap

You can't always judge a book by its cover, and never has it been truer as with the case of Nick Drnaso's Sabrina. The bland, insipid cover might not excite many, but the story is beyond amazing in its own quiet way.

When I learnt here that this is the first ever graphic novel to be longlisted for the Booker Prize 2018, I picked it up out of curiosity. Even after reading the first few pages, I was still wondering what the big deal was. And then, slowly, the story starts unraveling. Even though the story revolves around the death of young woman, Sabrina, she is not the focus. It is instead about two men - Sabrina's boyfriend, Teddy and his friend, Calvin, with whom he stays for a while. While Teddy's crushing grief is obvious, Calvin's misery is more subtle.

Even as the story revolves around their lives, the author has also shown the reaction of family, media and the general public in the face of a tragedy. This is not an easy task, but Nick Drnaso has done it masterfully. Everything in the book rings so true and is devoid of exaggeration or drama. Even the drab illustrations grows on you and seems to be done this way for a reason. The story builds up without stirring rage inside and that makes it all the more powerful. Up till the end, I wondered if the story would eventually reach a crescendo but somehow, it manages to end quietly while remaining suspenseful throughout. In fact, the end is so ordinary that it almost seems to undermine the power and relevance of the message it conveys so skillfully.

Technology has made it possible for anyone from anywhere in the world to communicate, but is it necessarily a good thing? Complete strangers can talk to each other, but is mutual empathy the norm or the exception? How far will the media and conspiracy theory fans go to entertain people by distorting reality?

I've no idea about the other books nominated for the prize, but I honestly hope this one makes it. It's a brilliant novel that has perfectly captured our times and it is one of the best books I've read this year.

jhsurti

Nice review. Will try to read it.

!!!!

thanks for the review will surely read it

cynic

Nice review @mousetrap. I agree with your review. Here are my two cents.

My first impression of the book was based on the graphics, and I too was not impressed. It is only later while reading the book do you realise why the author went for these kind of graphics and colors.... depicting loneliness and alienation.

It is one of those books that take time to get into. The whole conspiracy theories, fake news, media twisting the reality, people moving on to the next big news.... it is all a reflection of our society and how technology has been misused.

Another thing that stood out was the daily mental health survey Calvin was supposed to submit at the end of his work night. Speaks volumes.

The book kind of reminded me of the Talwar case. The media had a field day, and just like to ending in the book, no one really knows what exactly happened.

Overall I would rate it a 4.5 on 5. The ending left me underwhelmed, was expecting better.

Mousetrap

cynic 4-8-2018 03:00 PM
Nice review @mousetrap. I agree with your review. Here are my two cents.

My first impression of the ...

Yes, I think the survey was a great touch... I feel for that guy. I read it a second time soon afterwards and it was even better. And the first time round, I'd completely missed out the picture of Yancey in the bathtub... I don't know how that even happened!

cynic

Mousetrap 4-8-2018 03:23 PM
Yes, I think the survey was a great touch... I feel for that guy. I read it a second time soon aft ...

Yancey in the bathtub? I didn't notice that too. Somewhere I feel he is as much a victim as Sabrina. We never find out, do we? It's all up in the air, left for the reader to decide.