A review by nclcaitlin
Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed

3.75

Everyone should read this… 

Set in an alternate reality of modern-day Egypt, this graphic novel is set in a world where all kinds of wishes can be bought and granted. 

However, the author doesn’t concentrate on the magic behind, but rather focuses on the consequences. 

This follows three individuals who get first-class wishes, the most powerful kind.

My favourite perspective was Nour, a Gen Z student who is grappling with his mental health, sense of identity, and purpose. 

While Nour’s rich neighbours use their pricey wishes to dream up dinosaurs and flying cars, Nour has no idea what to wish for. Happiness? Contentment? To change himself? 

But what if his appealing mood and uninterest in life is just growing up and not something you can ‘fix’. 

“I FEEL LIKE I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO LIVE UP TO MY OWN EXPECTATIONS OF MYSELF FOR YEARS AND I'M JUST TRYING TO ADAPT TO MY NEW ROLE AS A MEDIOCRE PERSON."

Using wishes, the author explores how power is utilised to keep the powerful powerful. 

From how wishes are mined in and how religion, politics, and propaganda is used to take advantage of certain countries (funnily enough, those that have the biggest mines that colonialists can exploit to increase their own wealth in wishes). 

As a result, businesses, governments and wealthy citizens monopolise the best wishes for everything from defence projects to beautification, leaving “third-class” wishes to ordinary folk which normally have negative consequences. 

After all, who’s to say that what you want… is necessarily what you need?

The art is also great!

Stark monochrome images of incarceration contrasted with bright street corners. Similarly, humour and talking sarcastic donkeys next to depressing pages charting Nour’s declining emotions. 

This is smoothly translated into English, produced by the author herself. The author uses footnotes to provide extra Arab cultural context for anything that cannot be accurately translated. 

The book is even set to read from right to left, to mimic work published in Arabic.