Shubeik Lubeik

Within the folkloric subgenre of fantasy books, inventive stories of the djinn are some of my favourite to explore. Not only do they tend to be luminous tales of magic with a rich cultural grounding, but when these uniquely intriguing beings are placed in modern settings they bring a fire to their tales that is rarely rivalled elsewhere. Deena Mohamed’s tale may see little in the way of actual djinn on the pages (the spirits contained in the bottles being subvertly sold and queried over are not explored as characters), but the challenges her cast face due to their sheer presence is unavoidable. She presents three microtales, one for each purchase of a bottled djinn from the roadside shop owned by Shokry, which illuminate the rich show more cultural history in Cairo, the foibles of class and privilege, and the choices that anyone must grapple with when faced with a magical solution to all of life’s problems. While this story may have been less of a tale of wonder and more of a socio-political musing and cultural commentary, the characters are rich in humour and wit - instantly appealing for all their humanity and lack of actual magic. Bound in a sharp graphic style that is easy to read and inventive in its visual storytelling techniques, Mohamed has done a wonderful job of animating her story in a way that is unexpected and distinctly modern, setting herself up as a solid example of how to do the fantasy graphic novel genre differently. show less

The English translation of graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik includes all 3 stories about three wishes that a kiosk owner has for sale. It's modern-day Egypt, and wishes are carefully regulated and very expensive. The first person to purchase a wish is young widow Aziza, who quickly finds out that having a first-degree wish as a poor person is not the good luck one might expect. Next, well-off college student Noor buys a wish and can't decide if and when to use it while dealing with depression. And finally, we get the back story of the kiosk owner and the woman who encouraged him to better market those wishes, as he is a religious man who does not believe it would be right for him to use a wish.

Shubeik Lubeik takes its name from what a genie show more says when released, translating into English as "your wish is my command." This book seems to ask... but is it? Wishes often go wrong and they are used in perpetuating inequality and colonialism. I enjoyed seeing how the three stories weaved together, and the "interludes" gave a lot of background about how wishes worked and the history of this alternate Egypt. The translation was quite thorough, including footnotes explaining common Arabic phrases. Highly recommended. show less

This is an Egyptian graphic novel originally published in Arabic, now translated into English; the title means "your wish is my command." It's set in a version of our world where people can make, sell, and buy wishes (they come in bottles or cans). The wishes are of varying quality: first-class wishes always come true as you want and are very powerful; third-class wishes can backfire on you if the wish takes you literally but doesn't adhere to what you actually want. The book begins with a stall owner trying to sell three first-class wishes he wants to get rid of (he's a devout Muslim, and using wishes is against Islamic precepts), and follows three overlapping stories of the people who come into possession of each of the three. Clever, show more inventive worldbuilding, good comedy, but also some real pathos and emotion; I particularly liked the middle story, about how wishes might fit in with depression and talk therapy, but was also a good metaphor for how we handle depression in our world. show less

This graphic novel fantasy comes in three parts, beautifully illustrated and translated into English with footnotes explaining the remaining bits of Arabic. The world building is detailed, including historical timelines, a detailed legal and economic structure surrounding the wish industry, and practical limitations on the power and usability of the wishes themselves. It also offers a powerful reflection of real-world issues, refusing to shy away from their impact on the characters. This book brought me to tears.

The emotional depth is astonishing, and the structure is perfectly suited to telling multiple stories that interconnect but also diverge to show the facets of the world that would never be seen by other characters. The reader show more alone gets the full picture, along with the invitation to reflect on this society and the people who live within it, their history, their struggles, their hopes for the future. The world is so expansive, the conflicts within it so monumental, that the reader is left with a sense of so much being unresolved, while at the same time being satisfied with the conclusion provided through the structure. The unresolved, I was left thinking, is on us as the readers. "These same problems exist in our world," the book seemed to be saying, "how will we approach them?"

Not every reader may feel prepared to dive into such a novel, and some may wish to avoid it due to potential triggers, such as child death, suicidal ideation, and mistreatment by police. But to all others, I can't recommend it highly enough. If you enjoy fantasy or at least are able to suspend your disbelief and imagine a world in which such things are taken seriously, you'll find as much richness and depth as you could wish for. show less

Yes, everyone told me I would, and indeed, I LOVED ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK. From the very different characters and their different reasons for wishing, to the takes on corruption, not just of individuals but of governments, religion, international trade. The whole lore of the wishes and how they came to be, and using educational flyers/posters from a factitious charity to do most of the info dumping by way of infographics (though some of the low-contrast color choices on those infographics, HAVE MERCY ON A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN'S EYES!) And yes, I even love the rage donkey.

Okay, let me back up. This is a graphic novel from Egypt, translated from Arabic (so the pages and most panels are to be read right to left instead of left show more to right.) It takes place in a modern day Egypt where wishes have been mined, bottled, graded, and commodified. It circles around one man, Shokry, and the three first-grade wishes he is attempting to sell from his snack kiosk. It has SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT CAPITALISM AND EXPLOITATION, but all as context, as background, to what is an incredibly engaging story. There is also a big subplot around mental health (and I do NOT have space to unpack all of my feelings of identification with Nour).

Listen, there is SO MUCH GOING ON in this book (but in a good way!) that I am really struggling to organize my brain around coherent thoughts, but just in case no one has yelled at you to go read this book yet, GO READ THIS BOOK. And also, THANK YOU to the very many of you who have encouraged me to read it myself!

The story is FANTASTICAL, the art is LOVELY AND BOLD and the commentary is SO VERY RELEVANT. The main characters are all admirable in different ways. You won't be able to read this book without needing to yell at someone about it. SO VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. show less

I think this is the closest I've come this year to giving a book five stars. If only I weren't so stingy . . .

In a world where genie wishes are bottled and sold as part of a quadrillion-dollar industry, an old man who runs a failing newsstand puts three bottles he inherited from his father up for sale. The story is told in three parts as we see each of the wishes used. The fist wish gives us a tale of grief, injustice, and determination. The second wish allows an exploration of mental health issues. And the third wish grants us a couple heartwarming portraits of family life entangled with a horrible tale of revenge. As is often the case with wishes, the book is rife with melancholy and regret. Layered in also is anger at Western show more colonialism and exploitation.

Beautifully drawn and told, my only negative is that the middle story about depression, while well done, simply dragged on a bit too long with the least interesting of the lead characters.

(Best of 2023 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one of more of these lists:
• Washington Post
• NPR's Books We Love 2023: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels

This book made both lists.) show less

An engrossing graphic novel set in a modern Egypt a step or two off from our own, one where magical wishes are bottled and sold as part of a global industry. For years, Shokry, the owner of a street kiosk in Cairo, has been trying to rid himself of three first-class wishes. Shubeik Lubeik is the story of what happens to the wishes and those who use them (or try to). I really enjoyed Deena Mohamed's art—vibrant and expressive—and was impressed with how thoughtful the book is about colonialism, faith, class, and the exploitative commercialisation of hope. Really recommended.