VIDAL

In Botha’s graphic novel, an Israeli Jew finds himself caught in Nazi-occupied France.

Vidal Ben Soussan is born in Tiberias to fourth-generation Moroccan Jewish parents. He’s one of six children who live in a small stone house and speak a mix of Arabic, Hebrew, and French. Though Vidal has a twin brother, he’s closest to his younger sister, Mazal. The two of them do everything together and dream of one day living their lives in Paris. After Vidal graduates from Technion, an Israeli university, and Mazal graduates from high school, the two siblings realize their dream. In Paris, Vidal quickly falls for Sylvie, the sister of his university friend, who comes from a wealthy Jewish family. The couple marries and has two daughters. It’s sadly not long before Hitler invades France, alongside the alarming spread of antisemitism and xenophobia. Some join the Jewish Resistance (as Vidal secretly does), while others, like several members of Sylvie’s family, flee the country. Sylvie, however, wants to stay, and she isn’t afraid to show that she’s Jewish. Vidal worries about the family’s safety and insists that, at the very least, they find a place to hide their daughters. He’s later separated from his wife and children and stays under the radar as long as he can. But Nazis arrest Vidal and send him to Auschwitz, where he and many other Jews suffer horrible treatment. He vows to keep himself alive so he can see his family again, both in Paris and Tiberias.

Botha’s story is delivered via Vidal’s sketchbooks and journals. Because the eponymous character loves art, this graphic novel overflows with his paintings. The entire book is visually lush, with pages of expressionist artwork featuring thick, bold lines and bright pastels. (Highlights include Technion’s massive library of books and a full-page montage depicting Vidal’s life in an increasingly dangerous France.) Vidal’s absorbing life story takes readers from his childhood and teenage years in Tiberias to starting a family in an entirely new country; parts of the narrative are lighthearted, including an early and ultimately forbidden romance. Other parts are surprising, as when the happily married protagonist finds himself “tempted” when his job as a waiter puts him in the company of women. The book has several heart-wrenching scenes, such as Vidal saying goodbye to his family in Tiberias and later having to do the same with his beloved Mazal. The text is rich with cultural details illuminating the world Vidal grows up in and the one he’s introduced to later in life. While in Paris, he thinks back to the pastries his mother would make whenever someone got married: “Ghribbas, a crumbly shortbread cookie. Cigars, a fried brik pastry stuffed with almond paste and doused in a honey syrup. Hazelnut moons. Almond macarons. Dates and walnuts stuffed with marzipan. Little marzipan triangles.” Words from Vidal’s family members, which open and close this narrative, further develop this vivid portrait of a man who refuses to give up on life, even at its most harrowing.

A beautifully illustrated work of historical fiction that’s as touching as it is delightful.