Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Insta | GoodReads)
Who doesn’t know that one person who is so self-centered that they’ll make every conversation about themselves, and not even take a breath to ask you “how have you been doing?”. If you don’t, congratulations on having avoided one of those.
The graphic novel “An Embarassment of Witches” by Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan is a magical fantasy book which follows childhood best-friends Rory and Angela, who are just about stepping into the adult world. Angela is nervous about doing an internship at a cryptopharmocology lab run by Rory’s mom, an incredibly successful and domineering woman, while Rory is having a nervous breakdown because she was supposed to be flying with boyfriend to Australia to look after dragons (yes) but instead they break-up after he talks about wanting to open up their relationship just before boarding their flight. So, Rory moves back with Angela, and the two friends navigate the chaos of their new lives, because even witches have problems and magic cannot solve everything.
Rory is the selfish one, who is always rushing into new relationships, making everything about the boy, and discounting the feelings of her best-friend Angela, who is quite the doormat, so she always gives in to the whims and fancies of Rory and is always there to clean up her mess. But when Rory decides to not tell her mom that she didn’t go to Australia, it becomes difficult to keep Rory’s secret as her mom is her new boss. This leads to quite a few problems between the friends, who already have a lot of other things to worry about.
The artwork in “An Embarassment of Witches” is delightfully bright, colorful and upbeat. The pages are dominated by a distinct color-scheme which is dominated by blue, green, and purple shades. The world-building is visually engaging and some of the character illustrations reminded me Marajne Satrapi’s works (Persepolis/Embroideries). For a book about witches, there isn’t a whole lot of magic happening, but the panels are filled with talking animals, flying carpets, and a few spells here and there. Also, it’s laden with dozens of pop culture references that will be fun for readers who like spotting easter eggs. And Rory’s familiar animal is an owl, which may or may not be a nod to Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig. So, there’s a lot of scope of over-reading things in this magic-themed novel too.
While Rory’s character isn’t likable at all, it’s a pretty solid representation of how some people get too drowned in their own world to take notice of others. I do wish the writers had shown some redeeming qualities about her, although all we know is that she is very capricious and up for impromptu plans, so she is often tagged as “brave” by those around her. Angela, on the other hand, is a kind soul and a bit of a scaredy-cat, who rarely stands up for herself and is easily intimidated by people and situations. The creators also pack in an interesting sub-plot about Rory’s difficult relationship with her divorced parents.
“An Embarassment of Witches” Overall is a fun exploration of friendship, especially the kind that spans years, starting out all hunky-dory but getting complicated over time. But there’s nothing a little heart-to-heart cannot solve, and so Rory and Angela’s story ends on a ‘feel good’ note.
Rating: 4 on 5. The graphic novel is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Read Next: Thanos Rising Issues 1-5 Review
Also Read: A Man Called Ove – Orderline Oring (Audio Version Below)