ARMAVENI

First-generation Armenian American Takvorian debuts with a searing graphic memoir that refuses to let genocide fade into silence.

As a high schooler, Nadine’s quest to understand her family’s heritage was initially fragmented, her parents’ reticence covering wounds still too raw to expose. Set in 2001, the narrative weaves contemporary American events (including the 9/11 attacks) with haunting flashbacks to the Armenian genocide, creating a palimpsest of trauma that spans generations. What starts as hazy family mythology crystallizes into horrific clarity as Nadine’s journey of discovery progresses, each revelation more devastating than the last. The faded monochromatic illustrations employ masterful visual storytelling: Delicate linework gives way to viscerally affecting panels as historical horrors emerge, full-page splashes convey the overwhelming weight of inherited memory, and varied panel layouts mirror Nadine’s psychological progression from confusion to understanding. Takvorian doesn’t sugarcoat the abhorrent atrocities. She also frankly depicts the suffocating intergenerational silence and the intracommunity conflicts that surface, revealing the complex tensions within Armenian identity itself. This unflinching honesty extends to contemporary contexts, making clear that anti-Armenian violence remains relevant today. The art brilliantly captures emotions through expressive body language, strategic use of negative space, and page turns that will leave readers breathless. Takvorian transforms personal family history into urgent testimony, proving graphic narrative’s unique power to bear witness to atrocity.

Devastating and necessary; demands recognition for one of history’s most persistently denied genocides.