I was lucky enough to win an e-arc of After the Rain by Nnedi Okorafor (reimagined by John Jennings) from GoodReads. It was initially an adaption from Okorafor's short story, "On the Road," accompanied by bold art and colors from illustrator, David Brame, to help bring the story to life.
"The drama takes place in a small Nigerian town during a violent and unexpected storm. A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive."
This book is … interesting. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. For one, I didn't know it was a graphic novel. As erratic and mystifying as the drawings were, they were also beautifully chaotic and vivid. Though the story is masked in horror, the graphics seem to ease the fright from the narrative.
The story itself left me confused. Obviously, the comic has a deeper meaning. I just don't know what it is. I feel like this is one of the tribal lore passed down from generations that only certain cultures would understand. Unfortunately, because I am not of Nigerian descent, I'm not going to comprehend its message fully.
Overall, I don't know what to rate this comic. It wasn't bad. It's a unique story dealing with spirits, culture, and purpose. I wouldn't recommend skipping out on the graphic novel because of my lackluster review. So I'm going to leave the stars blank for now and let you be the judge.
After the Rain debuts on January 5, 2021
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