Sabrina

Sabrina is a graphic novel by Nick Drnaso that was first published by Drawn & Quarterly in May 2018. In the story, the murder of a woman named Sabrina spawns various conspiracy theories, and the book examines the impact these false narratives have on the lives of the victim's friends and family. Drnaso first came up with the idea for Sabrina in late 2014, though the graphic novel was not finished until the end of 2017. He found the project very difficult to work on and initially canceled it after being unsatisfied with the first draft. Sabrina received critical acclaim and is the first graphic novel to be longlisted for the Booker Prize. Plot summary A woman named Sabrina goes missing in Chicago, leaving behind her sister Sandra and her boyfriend Teddy. A month later, a grieving Teddy goes to stay with his childhood friend Calvin, an Air Force airman living in an isolated military base in Colorado. The recently divorced Calvin looks after Teddy, who is depressed and spends most of his time lying in bed in his underwear. A few days in, a video of Sabrina's brutal death surfaces, having been sent by her killer to various news agencies. The murderer is identified as Timmy, and the police find both his and Sabrina's bodies in Timmy's house. The video spreads rapidly across the internet and becomes the focus of the 24-hour news cycle. Conspiracy theories surrounding Sabrina's murder emerge, with accusations that it is a false flag operation and that Teddy, Calvin, and Sandra are crisis actors. As they try to cope with the aftermath, Calvin and Sandra are harassed by members of the public searching for the "truth", while Teddy finds himself obsessively listening to a conspiracy radio show even though it makes him miserable. The three protagonists eventually try to move on with their lives. Themes and development Although the story centers around a fictional murder, the focus of Sabrina is not on the crime itself but on the effects of the conspiracy theories that arise from it. The book serves as a commentary on the modern-day climate of "fake news".