Tian Veasna's Graphic Novel 'Year of the Rabbit' Chronicles Family's Escape from Khmer Rouge

French-Cambodian illustrator and writer Tian Veasna, born in Cambodia in 1975 just after the Khmer Rouge took power, has released his first graphic novel, 'Year of the Rabbit'. Published by Drawn & Quarterly, the work depicts his family's harrowing journey to flee the regime, from their evacuation from Phnom Penh through forced labor camps and attempts to reach a Thai border refugee camp. The narrative, told with detailed drawings in blue, green, and sepia tones, includes scenes of violence, such as a boat massacre turning river water red and uncles wading through human remains. Maps, survival tips, and statistics punctuate the chapters, revealing that nearly a third of Cambodia's population died over four years and that one bar of soap could be traded for two kilograms of rice. Amidst the horrors, moments of human kindness emerge, like an old peasant preventing forced boarding of a fatal boat or a Khmer chief allowing peaceful camp life after Veasna's father, a doctor, treated his sick child. The graphic novel combines powerful imagery and personal stories to offer an affective, human-centered record of atrocities, contrasting with traditional history books' dispassionate prose.