Decoding Graphic Narrative: A Sentiment Analysis of Reader Engagement in Amruta Patil’s Kari

This study examines reader reception of Amruta Patil’s Kari by integrating Graphic Narrative Theory (GNT), Visual Language Theory (VLT), and Visual Optimal Innovation (VOI) with quantitative sentiment analysis of reviews across social reading platforms (Goodreads, The Story Graph) and e-commerce sites (Amazon.in, Amazon.com, Flipkart). Findings reveal a consistent duality: reviews are written in highly subjective voices yet exhibit neutral-to-mildly positive polarity. In other words, readers engage personally but diverge in emotional alignment- some praising the novel’s poetic visual density, others critiquing its fragmentation and opacity. This ambivalence reflects both the cognitive cost of co-creation demanded by Patil’s symbolic and intertextual imagery and the cultural challenges of queer representation in India, where Section 377 and limited graphic novel traditions have historically shaped reception. The study also highlights how interpretive communities- academic critics, social readers, and consumer reviewers- apply different evaluative norms, producing divergent readings of the same text. By situating Kari within evolving sociocultural contexts and digital reception environments, the research underscores how visual literacy, cultural context, and multimodal narrative conventions jointly shape reader engagement. It calls for a nuanced approach to studying graphic narratives that bridges empirical methods and qualitative interpretation, acknowledging both aesthetic innovation and accessibility.