Habibi

Habibi is a graphic novel by Craig Thompson, the creator of Blankets. At its center is a love story, though it also reaches toward larger subjects: how people relate to the natural world, the gulf between wealthy and poorer nations, the shared roots of Christianity and Islam, and the power of storytelling itself. The book follows Dodola and Zam, two refugee children who are enslaved and thrown together by chance. Over time the bond between them turns into love. Their story moves across a vast setting that takes in deserts, harems, and the clutter of modern industry, and it is told in a world that closely resembles our own, one driven by fear, lust, and greed. The pair spend stretches of their lives together and stretches apart, each trying to carve out a place in that world. Along the way they find out just how deep their connection runs, and how fragile it can be.