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A review by saracat
The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salva Rubio, Pedro Columbo
5.0
First, I want to thank both NetGalley and Dead Reckoning for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very powerful story and it felt very appropriate to have been made into a visual story since photographs are such a crucial part of the narrative. Most of the holocaust narratives I have read in books or seen in movies over the years have mostly featured Jews or those who were trying to help them. In history class we learned that there were those who didn't have any connection to Judaism or Jews who got sent to concentration camps, but this is the first story I have read that didn't focus on those groups. In this case, Spaniards. And more specifically, mostly those who fled Spain when Franco came to power. (If I hadn't read [b:A Long Petal of the Sea|46042377|A Long Petal of the Sea|Isabel Allende|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565211383l/46042377._SY75_.jpg|69307454], I probably would not have understood situation as to how these men ended up in France and then the concentration camp. Though, in that book, the Spain refugees go to South America.)
This graphic novel mostly focuses on one man: Francisco Boix and how he hopes to use photographs to fight the Nazis. The artwork is gorgeous. The color palate sets the mood and feel of the story perfectly. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know about this part of history.
Content Warning: Scenes from concentration camps (though they clearly convey about the conditions, they are not specifically graphic in gory detail)
This was a very powerful story and it felt very appropriate to have been made into a visual story since photographs are such a crucial part of the narrative. Most of the holocaust narratives I have read in books or seen in movies over the years have mostly featured Jews or those who were trying to help them. In history class we learned that there were those who didn't have any connection to Judaism or Jews who got sent to concentration camps, but this is the first story I have read that didn't focus on those groups. In this case, Spaniards. And more specifically, mostly those who fled Spain when Franco came to power. (If I hadn't read [b:A Long Petal of the Sea|46042377|A Long Petal of the Sea|Isabel Allende|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565211383l/46042377._SY75_.jpg|69307454], I probably would not have understood situation as to how these men ended up in France and then the concentration camp. Though, in that book, the Spain refugees go to South America.)
This graphic novel mostly focuses on one man: Francisco Boix and how he hopes to use photographs to fight the Nazis. The artwork is gorgeous. The color palate sets the mood and feel of the story perfectly. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know about this part of history.
Content Warning: Scenes from concentration camps (though they clearly convey about the conditions, they are not specifically graphic in gory detail)