Fustuk

Apelian serves up quite the feast in this stunning graphic novel debut that celebrates food’s ability to inform personal identity and foster connection. Seventeen-year-old Katah remembers little about his late father, an acclaimed chef in the Pars Empire, an imagined alternate Persian Empire. Nevertheless, the teen has been having vivid dreams of him; these visions soon lead him to a powerful spirit, or div, named Az, who knew Katah’s father. After Katah pleads for Az to cure his gravely ill mother, the div agrees. In exchange, Katah, along with his older brother Garo and sister Noori, both chefs, must present a dish to Az that is comparable to what their father once made. As his siblings clash over what to prepare—Garo insists on sticking to their traditional Hye cuisine while Noori prefers Pars recipes—Katah struggles with feeling disconnected from his family and their shared love of cooking. Sequences alternate between portraying Katah’s waking hours and his dreamscapes, which impart ethereal ambiance; fantastical worldbuilding is imbued with Armenian and Persian mythological influences. Animated artwork rendered via shifting monochrome palettes focuses on minute character expressions and fluid movement to heighten drama and drive this grounded tale of grief and memory. An author’s note and glossary conclude. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Jan.)