Dance by the Light of the Moon by Judith Vanistendael

Dance by the Light of the Moon

Judith Vanistendael

Here’s a narrative is told in comic strip format in a large size paperback. It’s a gentle story describing the relationship between a Flemish teenager and a political refugee from Togo who is seeking asylum in Belgium. The drawings are lively and convincing, conveying well the moods and attitudes of the characters. There’s also a serious political dimension to the story which provides an interesting contrast with the graphic novel format.

Extract
No, my daughter's gone and fallen for an asylum seeker ... from TOGO.

Apparently they have a very nasty little dictator there ... who has found a highly personal way of combining the foibles of African tribal chiefdom with the bullying tactics of a European sergeant major. Even so, he's the darling of the European Union
Parallels
  • Children of the Revolution by Dinaw Mengestu
  • Harare North by Brian Chikwawa

Rainy day reads