“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” Craig Thompson’s Habibi

This is not to negate, however, the book’s extremely problematic depiction of sexuality and race. As Dodola is sold into one form of sexual slavery into another, first as a child bride of a much older scribe, then as a “desert vermin” who sells her body to fend for Zam and herself, and later on as the favourite in the Sultan’s harem, we realize that almost no agency over her sexuality is accorded to her – and while this lack of agency itself is not surprising, given her dire straits, what makes one uncomfortable is the sense of profound disinterest with which she views her subjugation. She constantly refers to her “spirit” as being disengaged from the sexual act while her body is subjected to humiliations- only being re-appropriated by her towards the end when she consummates her relationship with Zam. It is too easy a cop-out, an easy skirting away of moral implications and guilt.

Similar such ambiguity is displayed when it comes to race. For instance, in one of the panels, as Thompson describes the birth of the three races of the world from Noah’s descendants, there seems to be an ostensible justification of the slavery of the darker races, and Zam, who is of African birth, vindicates the struggles of his own life with the “curse” of his ancestors. Tales from the Qur’an and the Bible provide an overarching framework, but as an author, it becomes incumbent upon Thompson to not just re-create them simply, but question their relevance for contemporary times, which strive to be more politically correct.

Nonetheless, the overall tale is one which is poignant, current, as well as timeless, all at the same time. In the redemption of Dodola and Zam, from lost souls to the ones who strive to progress with change and mark the beginning of a better, kinder world, we are driven home to the same point as The Beatles made- “All You Need is Love”.