Neil Kleid is back with another graphic novel filled with lies and intrigue. The Big Kahn opens with a bangas a stranger interrupts RabbiDavidKahn’s shiva to announce that the good rabbi was never a Jew, but a con man. Troubles ensue–economic, social, and spiritual–among the deceased’s family as they come to grips with the big lie at the center of their past and what it means for their future. The big question? What will the congregation do with the rabbi’s son Avi, the assistant rabbi and what will Avi do with himself?
While Jewdar liked the book overall, we do have our caveat, and one that mirrors the book itself. While the idea is an intriguing one, it’s one that Kleid (who wears the same kind of funny little hat and strings that Jewdar does) knows is pretty impossible. It really does strain belief (and again, this is coming from a guy who wears a funny little hat and strings) to imagine that, in the time frame presented in the book, someone could master the linguistic, cultural, and legal knowledge and language necessary to pass himself off not merely as an Orthodox rabbi, but one born in Eastern Europe (the time frame of the book also was a little weak, but that’s a minor issue). But once you get past that, the book presents an interesting look at a variety of important spiritual questions, and treats the religiousity–and religion–of its characters much more believably than any other comic we’ve seen (and everybody who keeps kosher will particularly appreciate the scene in the supermarket).
In a way, then, the critique of the book mirrors the book itself. The life of David Kahn, and his family, was marked from the onset by one great and tragic lie. The question is what meaning can the various members of his family find in a life built on that lie? By the same token, while the book itself is plagued by a central flaw, once you move beyond that, you find a rich and meaningful exploration of the kinds of questions that make this book perfect reading after shul on Rosh Hashanah (and if you read it instead of going to shul, we won’t tell).
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