I was a big fan of the Hyperbole and a Half blog so I kept meaning to get around to reading this memoir/graphic novel by Allie Brosh, but for some reason it kept getting pushed to the bottom of my reading pile. Maybe subconsciously I was saving it for a low point, some future time when I needed a serious laugh. I’m glad I saved it because it was just the medicine I needed when I was sick and stuck in bed for a week.
Like all the best comedians, Brosh can reach into weirdest and darkest parts of life and extract humor. She has a true gift for magnifying the absurdity in human (and dog) nature. As an owner of a few oddball pets, I loved the sections about Simple Dog and Helper Dog. They’re weirdos that I love from afar. Look at these two nutballs:
Aesthetically, it’s a very beautiful book with large glossy pages filled with deceptively simple drawings. Something about those drawings really makes her humor and experiences shine. I normally don’t even like memoirs, but this one really resonated with me. I laughed, I cried, and then I cried from laughing. And anyone who has ever suffered from depression or watched a loved one suffer from it will feel the chapters on depression deep in their bones. Her insights are some of the truest things I’ve ever read about the disease.
I really hope Brosh eventually writes a sequel. She has such a unique voice that it’d be a shame if this was her first and last book.