[2] The first volume of L'Arabe du futur won the 2015 Fauve d’Or prize for best graphic novel at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Purposefully written from the perspective of a child, Sattouf employs simplistic yet comprehensive drawings that are more rudimentary than, yet not entirely dissimilar to, his other works such as La vie secrète des jeunes, his column in the famous satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
[5] Both The Arab of the Future and La Vie Secrète des Jeunes are written from Sattouf's point of view, with the former describing his childhood and the latter his daily observations as an adult.
Abdul-Razak, however, is portrayed as a complex character, being educated, ambitious and a loving father, yet also hypocritical, sexist, racist, and simultaneously authoritarian towards his wife and children yet almost infantile in his relationships with his mother and elder brother.
Abdul-Razak appears particularly conflicted over religion; he prefers to describe himself as a secular modernizer (he drinks wine, eats pork, and does not pray) but he also exhorts his son to respect God and to learn to read the Qur'an, seemingly motivated by the pressure of his conservative family and Syrian society.
When Gaddafi's state of the popular masses declares new laws requiring people of different social classes to swap occupations, Abdul-Razak fears losing his teaching job, and the family leaves Libya in 1982.
She draws parallels between the rural France of the past, exemplified by her elderly neighbor who lives in extremely rustic conditions, and the developing Arab world of the modern era.
Riad encounters severe bullying, in which two cousins accuse him of being Jewish and mercilessly torment him—seemingly because of his blond hair and foreign mother.
Riad also witnesses strict segregation of genders and sects, media censorship, animal abuse, corruption, poor sanitation, and crippling poverty.
Abdul-Razak wants Riad to begin school, but Clémentine fears he is too young—then forbids it entirely after witnessing a group of boys torture and kill a puppy for sport.
Riad becomes terrified when his father—who now has money to build his dream villa—makes plans to return to Syria, knowing that he will have to attend school there and face his bullies.
Abdul-Razak takes the family's savings and their youngest child Fadi to Syria, leaving Clémentine in Brittany with the two older children.
He begins to read more widely, including the novels of H. P. Lovecraft, Allan Kardec's writings on spiritism, and classic French-language comic book authors Moebius, Philippe Druillet, and Enki Bilal.
The young Riad associates new places and especially new people with their smells, ranging from perfume and incense to sweat, spoiled food, and flatulence.
I find that’s still true today.”[2] The Arab of the Future has received widespread critical acclaim and is considered an instant classic among graphic memoirs.
Michel Hazanavicius, Academy Award-winning director of The Artist, proclaims “Seriously funny and penetratingly honest, Riad Sattouf tells the epic story of his eccentric and troubled family.
"[8] The New York Times described the graphic memory as, “Exquisitely illustrated, and filled with experiences of misfortune bordering on the farcical,… a disquieting yet essential read.
"[9] Also writing for the Times, Laila Lalami highlights the book's portrayal of Sattouf's father, and his gradual and uneven path from a young idealist to an authoritarian, yet impotent, hypocrite.