The Girl Who Sang Graphic Novel

This emotive, evocative and heartbreaking graphic novel memoir leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Polish holocaust survivor, public speaker and singer Estelle Nadel’s collaboration with Jewish storyboard artist Sammy Savos, bravely shares her traumatic wartime experiences with a new generation of young readers. Savos’s meticulous research, diagrammatic detailing, mapping and long-distance story conferencing with Estelle gave her incredible insight into her life in Borek as Enia Feld.

Personal details are evident in the care Savos takes in portraying Enia’s family bringing them to life in soft pastels with a crayon like texture. Maximum dramatic impact is achieved by the book beginning in 1944 with a scared girl hiding in shadow meeting the eyes of a cat through a hole in a straw roof before recalling happier times.

Enia’s story then unfolds in five chronological chapters with symbolic thumbnails as section headers. The text synchronises with the powerful illustrations capturing Enia’s poignant journey from a carefree child who joyfully sang and enjoyed learning family traditions to a persecuted, terrified girl just subsisting, and the further challenges she faced as a young adult trying to find a place to call home.

What is most effective is the prelude to the Nazi invasion of the quiet village of Borek where rural peace is juxtaposed with urban horror. The calm is shattered by disturbing vignettes depicting Nazi violence in the aftermath of the Reichstag Fire. Shattering closeups shock and horrify the reader as Jews are marked for discrimination, persecution and elimination.

There is an adept use of black edging, a contrast from the earlier white surround, with swipes of grey, sepia and vivid splashes of orange framing petrified victims. Poland is caught in a pincer grip, menaced by the savage swastika and the sinister sickle as human rights are vanquished. The vivid red of vegetables being prepared for borscht are juxtaposed with dusky purples as silhouetted figures flee into the darkness.

Atmospheric details throughout convey a sense of fear and urgency as the stark truths of totalitarianism, Nazi oppression and the displacement of the innocent are laid bare. Later sections deal with adjustment and new beginnings as Enia faces what it means to survive.

It was a labour of love for Savos with informative illustrator’s notes at the back outlining the creative process involved. She crafted her characters and settings using family photographs, personal accounts and documentary footage from Estelle’s nephew. Following Estelle’s death in 2023, she commented,

‘While it feels strange and sad promoting the book without her, spreading her story is what she wanted, and so I’m going to do the best I can to put it out there and encourage people to read it. I’m very grateful that she was able to see the finished book, hold it in her hands, and tell me how happy she was with it.’

What is important is that the book shines a spotlight on the atrocities of the Holocaust so that young people can learn from the lessons of history. It reflects the power of the human spirit triumphing over adversity. The reader accompanies Enia through all her trials and tribulations willing her to sing again as Estelle.