Laika

Author & Illustrator: Nick Abadzis

Genre: Graphic Literature, Modern History

Age Range: 14+ (This is only due to there being the odd swear-word. Handled with care, then a deeper child who is younger could read this if assisted by an adult who can help them deal with the themes.)

Theme/Subject: Russia, Space Race, Cruelty to Animals, America vs. Soviets

Publisher: First Second

ISBN: 9781596431010

Synopsis: (Amended from the Inside Sleeve)

Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth’s first space traveller. This is her journey. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika’s health and life. Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind the cold hard facts.

Review:

I saw this on the ‘Just In’ shelf in Borders and it caught my eye immediately. Judging by the text on the front, I knew the story had to be something to do with Russia (the Soviet Union as it turns out) and so I picked it up and saw, to my joy, that it was a graphic novel. This was the first piece of work I had encountered by Abadzis.
In short, the story deals with the launch of the Soviet’s launch of Sputnik (1957) and the race afterwards to launch a second ship into space. We become involved in Krushchev’s desire to out-do Eisenhower and the Americans and show them that Communism in the Soviet Union was, in his eyes, successful. Whilst this battle for the heavens goes on, the reader follows the story of Laika, a homeless stray dog who is painfully searching for companionship and comradeship. Ultimately, she is taken in and trained to be the first living creature ever to enter space. However, heartbreakingly, it was never to be a return journey.
Abadzis does a wonderful job on trying to capture the Soviet Union in the 1950s; the struggle for power in the space race; but more importantly, the struggle for compassion and love in a country only just coping with the repressive control that Stalin had placed upon them.
There are so many facets that I loved about this graphic novel: the relationship between Yelena and the dogs she handled and the huge social differences and difficulties in the Soviet Union during the 1950s, to name but a few. Abadzis handles the story with a warm and caring touch, so much so that I could not help but cry and reflect on the impact that the little dog, and all those attached to her story, had on me.