Finished reading Doab Dil, a graphic novel by Sarnath Banerjee. I was browsing through a book site and its calming blue hardback cover caught my eye. A woman is sitting atop a hill, sipping a hot drink, looking at the vast sky ahead of her, as if ruminating on life. I assumed it was a fiction novel & bought it due to a great discount.
To my surprise, it turned out to be a non-fiction book, that is a random compilation of wisdom/information the author came across while reading non-fiction books. For example, the first few pages are about Gardening & landscaping, two topics I have very little interest in.
In a nicely written introduction to the book, the author does inform the reader that the book is a collection of murals he had drawn in London, which were supposed to read like a book. “Doab Dil brings together drawing & text like two converging rivers” he says. However, they don’t flow smoothly.
While the artwork in Doab Dil is worth treasuring, the text accompanying them are pretty forgettable. Banerjee jumps from one topic to another very abruptly, leaving the reader dazed & unsatisfied. Like there is just one page on why the Japanese can fall asleep comfortably in public places. As a reader I had more expectations from the book as far as content is concerned, but I liked the artwork. The art is colourful, quirky and cute. Some of it reminded me of Raina Telegeimeir’s style of drawing, who has written several popular graphic novels for teens & children.
If you are looking for some random intellectual trivia with lively illustrations accompanying them, you might enjoy this book. Doab Dil is a 3/5 for me.
Please do check out our new Podcast show by the same name.
Listen in, show support & don’t forget to subscribe!
