cover image The Big Kahn

The Big Kahn

Neil Kleid, . . NBM, $13.95 (176pp) ISBN 978-1-56163-561-0

Questions of faith, trust and integrity are dealt with in this intense graphic novel. David Kahn was never Jewish, yet he lived for 40 years as a well-respected rabbi. On the day of his funeral, Roy Dobbs, his grifter brother, reveals himself and the truth to the surviving members of the Kahn family. Suddenly ostracized from their community, they are forced to come to terms with their father's lies. Rabbi Avi Kahn, the oldest son, suddenly finds his future in jeopardy and turns to his rebellious sister Lea's non-Jewish roommate for comfort—an act that will only further confuse him. As Lea rethinks the religion she's spent her life running from, youngest brother Eli discovers exactly how much he's like his late father. After coming apart at the seams, family members are forced to find a way to put their lives back together, a process painfully captured by Kleid. Cinquergrani is skilled at capturing a wide range of emotions, deftly capturing the characters' pain. The Big Kahn is not an easy book to read, especially given its underlying religious questions, but it is gripping. (Sept.)