The events of recent years make it hard to imagine Mosul without seeing a city shattered by war. But when Findakly’s French mother moved to Iraq in the 1950s, she was the one drawing sympathy. “Because she was from a country that had been through five years of war, people were polite enough to accept her.” Findakly’s account of her childhood as a middle-class Arab Christian mixes personal anecdote with wider history, accompanied by the odd family photo and her partner Lewis Trondheim’s cute cartoons.
The result is a likable memoir that offers a window into Iraq. Regimes come and go, touching her childhood in often bizarre ways. Her brother is sent on a school trip to watch traitors be hanged; a dictionary has the entry on Iraq ripped out by censors – collateral damage for the removal of Israel on the adjoining page. Bright panels give the narrative pathos as Saddam’s power grows, food becomes scarce and paranoia slides its hooks into everyday life. Findakly lives in France now, and her sweet, sad book is full of affection for the place she once belonged.
• Poppies of Iraq is published by Drawn & Quarterly. To order a copy for £16.99 (RRP £14.44) go to or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
