Graphic Novel Review: Nadya by Debasmita Dasgupta

Posted on December 10, 2019 at 11:42 am by Gene Ambaum

Nadya by Debasmita Dasgupta. Scholastic India, 2019. 9789352759286. 64pp.

Life seems like a fairytale for Nadya until, one day, her father leaves. Nadya feels alienated from her mother and runs away into the woods.

The cover has a lot of shelf appeal, as do the interior pages. Dasgupta uses a combination of traditional media, digital color, and hand-painted textures to achieve a look that’s attractive and friendly. I found the colors of Nadya’s home and the exterior scenery particularly striking, and I keep returning to the book to look at the trees.

Divorce is still taboo in India, where the divorce rate is less than one percent. Dasgupta hopes her debut graphic novel will help start conversations about it. This is a simple story told with few words that belongs in children’s collections and schools everywhere.