Book Review: “Hyperbole and a Half”

When people used to ask me what depression was like, I used to go completely blank. Even though I had years of battling under my beast under my belt, I had no idea how to put it into words—the sadness-for-absolute-no-reason, the zombie-staring, the inanity of it all. Even if I could have done it justice, I couldn’t have put it in a way that didn’t make people want to edge quietly away from me in awkwardness.

And then I stumbled across Allie Brosh’s “Hyperbole and a Half” piece about falling into depression.

Here was someone had finally put me and my cray kindred’s experience into words – and gloriously childlike cartoons. Sharing Allie’s comics with my loved ones gave them a glimpse of what it’s like to wake up with morning in the grips of depression. Having all of this depicted in meme-like cartoons meant that my loved ones could not only relate to it, they could even giggle at how ridiculous life on the cray side can be.

The book is kind of like the “best of” her blog—following her battles with cray, her batshit dogs, and the perils of everyday life—like returning videos (rot in hell, returning videos!). My only complaint is that I wanted more—not all of her blogs made the cut, and I just loved it so much that I wanted more. So let’s all keep our fingers and toes crossed that she’ll pump out another book.

This book would be a really thoughtful gift  for anyone you know struggling with a bit of cray. It would also be a fabulous gift for loved ones if you’re rocking some cray—particularly for grandparents or loved ones who may not be tech-savvy enough to navigate the scary seas of the internet.

And if anyone you know is a fan, you will be their new best friend if you get them this.