The hard-to-believe but true stories of Allie Brosh create the humorous and slightly concerning autobiographical graphic novel Hyperbole and a Half. She invites us into the mind of her dog-obsessed childhood self, tells of her “simple-dog” and “helper dog,” and also shares a candid insight into her struggles with depression.
Her childhood stories are the parts that made me laugh out loud the most because while she was already a quirky child, the humor that she uses to express those peculiarities makes them even funnier. Normally, adults don’t always remember what they were thinking when they were younger, but it seems that Brosh still has quite a healthy relationship with her child-self. In one of the first stories in the graphic novel, she tells about the time when she found a letter to her future 25-year-old self written by her ten-year-old self. The letter asks multiple questions on the topics of dogs: “Do you still like dogs? What is your favorite dog? Do you have a job training dogs? Is Murphy [her current dog] still alive?"(Brosh 5) It also had an “About me” section where she made sure to state her favorite dog breeds. And at the end, it had the sentence that Brosh describes as “the three most disturbing words in the entire letter: Please write back.” She says, “judging by the thick, purposeful lines in each letter...the sincerity of the request is unmistakable” (6). There are more times like these where Brosh reminisces about her past actions or events with semi-sarcastic yet reflective commentary. But her written memories express the honest thoughts of when you’re a kid and your actions seem perfectly reasonable, which made for a nostalgic read….even though I realize I’m only fifteen.
She also shares the times when she had depression as an adult. Even though depression is a serious and sensitive topic, she is able to bring sardonic humor to the bitter moments. She allows us, the readers, to still maintain a connection with her, even during the more uncomfortable and difficult times of her life. She has two sections in her book labeled “Depression Part One” and “Depression Part 2.” She starts off “Depression Part One” by saying, “Some people have a legitimate reason to feel depressed, but not me. I just woke up one day feeling arbitrarily sad and helpless” (99). The way she explains her experience with depression makes it easy for readers to empathize with her and understand exactly what she means. She also gives examples that show what she was like during this period. Like the time she felt invincible at the video store because she “didn’t have any feelings left” and rented six horror movies, bought all of the skittles, and then “swooped out of there like the Batman and biked home in a blaze of defiant glory” (115-119). I think writing about those candid moments is also helpful for a lot of readers experiencing the same thing. I appreciate how she incorporated humor into both her writing and drawings, punctuating her present thoughts and emotions. For me, that’s what I can connect with the most (humor), so it was quite effective.
I feel like since dogs were an important part of Brosh’s life, I should probably mention them. As an adult, she has two dogs: The “simple dog” who is, well, a bit simple but tries her best, and then there is the “helper dog,” who tries to teach the simple-dog how to be bad. She devotes a section to each one. The first one is about how she runs a series of tests on her simple dog until finally accepting that her dog is just simple, and the second one is about getting the helper dog and learning about all of the not-so-fun qualities that she has. However, she loves them both very much. The facial expressions that she gives each dog are funny, and the thought bubbles are great additions too.
The Simple Dog (left) & Helper Dog (right)
Reading Hyperbole and a Half is like drinking a refreshing glass of seltzer water: It’s addictive, fun, and when you choke on the bubbles, that’s just because you're laughing so hard. I hope you try it.
--Grace
This book sounds very unique. I think it's interesting how the author is able to talk about depression but still maintain the humor in the book. I love how you added the pictures to this post, it made it fun to read!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! To be honest I was drawn in by the cover and pleasantly surprised. I love how the author is realistic and open about her struggles and is able to reflect on her childhood with a bit of humor. I think the overall contents of this book and the way it is written makes it appealing to a variety of age groups. I hope to check this out!
ReplyDeleteI love how the book seems to create a connection between the author and the reader. The author is very open about her struggles and her reflection on her childhood, which you can relate to as the reader. It looks like just a funny, comedic book, but it also touches deeper topics. There also seems to be a good balance between the humor and talk of depression; it's not too dreary but not too overly funny and making depression seem like a joke. I really appreciate that. I'll check out Hyperbole and a Half sometime!
ReplyDeleteThis book seems pretty cool due to various reasons. I notice that unlike most books that are posted about, this one is nonfiction. Also the author seems to have included cartoon-like illustrations to lighten the mood and help the reader empathize more with serious topics like depression.
ReplyDeleteThis book seems to be very funny and unique. The crude drawings jokey demeanor of the drawings piqued my interested. I will definetely try to get my hands on this book.
ReplyDeleteThis book seems really cool! The drawings really interested me, and look really funny. I also like how the author is open with her struggles. This book sounds like a very fun read- I would love to read it!
ReplyDeleteThis book is very far from the usual genre that I like to read. However, From the way you described it, it seems like it would be a pretty fun read. I like that its humorous, and also the idea of finding letters from your childhood self, and revisiting old memories is interesting. I would enjoy reading this.
ReplyDeleteThe book seems to be really unique and more in a genre of its own than anything else. It seems to be a good thing to sit down and read. The art really reminds of old internet drawings.
ReplyDeleteHyperbole and a Half sounds really good! I like that even though this book is humor, it sounds like she's able to form a genuine connection with the reader by being honest and detailed about her own experiences. And your line about seltzer water is a great description!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! It really does look funny, and it's even a bit funnier, in my mind at least, that it's a true story. The author seems to do a good job of balancing the sad stuff with the funny stuff as well. I want to read this!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a very interesting book, very different from the other recommendations I've seen on blogs. From the ample illustrations you provided, it seems to have a more playful art style, which I especially appreciate. I'll certainly consider picking up this book, or graphic novels of this type.
ReplyDeletethe use of comedy as a coping mechanism for depression sounds like it adds an interesting twist to the story. A funny book is just what we need for a break from the boring monotony of quarantine
ReplyDeleteWow, this book seems really special. It is awesome that the author uses something so simple, such as childhood experiences, to describe deeper topics. The illustrations look interesting as well!
ReplyDeleteThis graphic novel sounds really interesting! The author's writing style and methods of reflecting on her past sound very entertaining. I also like how you included the pictures and quotes from the book :D
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really unique! it seems like the author is good at talking about serious topics in a way that many people can understand. I also like that you added lots of pictures, it helps me get a better understanding of what the book is like.
ReplyDelete