These intermittent moments break up the larger plot, but are beautifully weaved through in a tapestry of Islamic patterns, calligraphy, numerology and mystical teachings. Every hardship is eased with tales of sacrifice and faith. Every event in both her and Zam’s journey is layered with Dodola’s religious metaphors. At the onset of the story, Dodola becomes the child wife of a Koranic scribe, giving her great insight into religious texts, which she uses as a measure to cope with her life’s challenges. We meet our heroes, Dodola and Zam as young orphaned children, connected by tragic circumstances. We see evidence of a fallen civilization on the brink of an environmental disaster, and the haunting degeneration of humanity. Habibi transports us to a fictional yet strangely familiar time and place, which feels almost post apocalyptic. Only this time, the tale is grander, deeper, and much more layered. By contrast, Habibi is a fictional tale, which shares to some extent Blanket’s themes of love, religion and sex. It is a stark contrast to Thompson’s previous mammoth novel, Blankets, a much gentler and highly personal autobiographical story about Thompson’s childhood, growing up in a very religious household while trying to navigate the guilt and wonder of sex and a first love. This book truly is an artistic masterpiece, an overload of obsessive details and rich visual content.
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