Book Review: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Summary:

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

 

Release Date: October 29, 2013

Age Group: Adult

Source: Purchased

Reviewed By: Kelli

 

Review:

I've been following Allie Brosh's blog for a while now (the incomparable Jenny Lawson recommended her) and I've been anxiously awaiting the release of her book.  I waited so long for her book, that I actually forgot about the release date; hence, I bought and read this book a few months after its release. 

 

If you're familiar with Allie's blog, her book will make complete sense to you.  Her writing is peppered with awesomely terrible illustrations.  At first, I found the illustrations distracting.  The more I read Allie's blog, though, the more they grew on me.  So much so, that by the time I read her book, I found myself looking forward to her pictures.  They are dark humor at its best, with a simple kind of attraction, and they complement her writing to a tee.

 

Allie writes openly about depression and her experiences with it.  The way she describes her feelings (or lack thereof) while depressed is the most honest and relatable description of depression I've ever read.  I found myself nodding my head so many times while reading Hyperbole and a Half.  Allie shares so much about herself, and I found myself really relating to her.  Her chapters on using fear and shame as motivators were some of my favorite parts of the book.  The chapters on identity were also so intuitive, deep and real, that my eyes teared up in recognition and compassion.

 

Hyperbole and a Half is also hilarious!  I laughed so much that my cat jumped out of my lap in anger (I was doing the rare belly-laugh and it was shaking my cat, which infuriated her).  I loved that Allie included so much humor in her book, right alongside the deeper chapters about depression.   

 

I read Hyperbole and a Half in one sitting, which is so rare for me these days: it was that good.  I kept saying, "just one more chapter" until I looked up and the book was over.  I immediately purchased a copy for a gift, and see myself giving this book as gifts in the future as well.  I highly recommend Hyperbole and a Half!