Fustuk - Robert Mgrdich Apelian - ★★.½

AUTHOR: Robert Mgrdich Apelian

GENRE: Graphic Novel

PUBLICATION DATE: January 20, 2026

RATING: 2.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A YA-Fantasy graphic novel inspired partly by Armenian and Persian mythology. A complex storyline that takes some time to come together. Some unexplained plot points. Intricate artwork but monochrome colouring. This might work better if read through a physical copy.

Plot Preview:

Seventeen-year-old Katah has always felt like an outsider in his family because he’s the only one with no talent for cooking. Unlike his much older siblings, he is also too young to have known his late father who was a legendary Hye chef in the Pars empire. At present, Katah is the sole caregiver for his sick mother, so when his vision-like dreams lead him to find a powerful div, he hopes to use its magic to save his mother’s life. But magical deals are complex and never one-sided. As Katah attempts to meet the div’s condition with the help of his siblings, he realises that he might have wagered more than he had bargained for.

The story comes to us over multiple timelines mainly through Katah’s perspective, with some of his visions based in the past.

Bookish Yays:

😍 The sibling dynamics between Katah and his much-older siblings: brother Garo and sister Noori. As realistic as possible in a fantasy.

😍 The multifarious emotions. Some sadness, some comedy, some guilt, some frustration. It was good to see the family working together even through their differences of opinion.

😍 The concept of exploring cultural identity through food and of balancing the thin line between sticking to the past and embracing the new. Thought-provoking.

Bookish Okays:

🤔 The conscious decision taken by the author to not elaborate on the non-English content. The reasons have been clarified in the author’s note, and I respect them as well. But this doesn’t make our comprehension easier. I am lucky that some Persian words have similar equivalents in Hindi/Urdu (jadoo, div, bavarchi), so I could guess their meanings while reading. But there are many lines written in Persian and Armenian with no translation, and both of these languages have scripts that aren’t familiar to English speakers. So you just have to go with the flow while reading. The glossary at the end of the book does contain all the meanings, but I discovered it only after I completed the book, and anyway, it is very annoying to navigate back and forth repeatedly while reading a digital edition.

🤔 The Armenian and Persian elements, the details of which are partly clarified in the end note. Quite interesting. But no context provided at all. What you see is what you get. Given that the core of the book hinges on these two cultures, there should have been more depth to these components of the plot.

🤔 The character development in general. We can sense the disparity in their thinking and emotions, but the whys aren’t always clear. I wish I could have understood them better. Noori especially was such a fabulous character; it would have been great to explore her sentiments and life choices.

🤔 The illustrations are visually stunning, but on some pages, they are way too complex to figure out. This confusion is exacerbated by the monochrome colour scheme. (orange-white for Katah’s timeline, blue-white for his visions, pink-white for the flashbacks), which is a disappointment given how colourful both cultures are in real life. Only the last 3-4 pages have full colour and are a treat to the eyes.

Bookish Nays:

😒 The complexity of the triple storyline with plenty of reality, dreams, and flashbacks. Some dreams are too tricky to figure out and it takes time to understand what’s happening. A few plotpoints are left vague even till the end. I wish the plot development had been smoother.

😒 The dialogues are way too long for a graphic novel. This affects the reading pace. Graphic novels shouldn’t be this dialogue-intensive.

😒 The ending. So many questions!!!

Basically, I expected far more from this OwnVoices work, especially given how it highlights two cultures not commonly seen in fiction. Further, as the author rightly pointed out, many stories featuring Armenian characters usually focus on the persecution and the genocide, so it is nice to have a story spotlighting the richness of the culture instead. But the lack of depth and clarity in the character and plot development didn’t allow me to immerse myself fully in the narrative. The artwork is outstanding but the colour scheme didn’t work for me.

The book might still work for readers of OwnVoices graphic novels looking for a story presenting a different culture and for the authentic illustrations. Just avoid the digital copy.