Solutions and Other Problems
October 11, 2020 10:52 AM - by Brosh, Allie - Subscribe

Allie Brosh returns, pairing humor, gut-wrenching honesty, and delightful art. "[She] has also given herself many prestigious awards, including "fanciest horse drawing" and "most likely to succeed".

She's also posted a bunch of pictures to her Facebook page, if you're into that sort of thing (although I think you have to have an account to see them).

Solutions, previously. Previouslier.

Allie Brosh previously. Previouslier.
posted by Gorgik (12 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've been reading this slowly, to be able to savor it for a while. Until this morning, I'd have said that "Bananas" was my favorite chapter.

"You've never been this far before. You know you shouldn't say it. You know it's stupid and you'll regret it later. But it's too late. The sentence has formed. It's on deck, ready to launch. You're going to say it.
[pic]

The words start coming out.
[pic]

And even as you're saying them, you're frantically willing yourself to change course. Say something else! Anything! It doesn't need to make sense! Make random noises if you have to!
[pic]

But there's too much momentum. No one can stop it now."

And then this morning I read "Losing". The way she illustrates (literally) her relationship with her sister is both brilliant and perfectly highlights her confusion and grief. And the final words of that chapter exactly echo a sentiment a friend of mine used when describing trying to make it through the last seven months:

"Sometimes all you can really do is keep moving and hope you end up somewhere that makes sense."

So grateful for this author.
posted by Gorgik at 11:08 AM on October 11, 2020 [3 favorites]


I expected the book to be occasionally pretty serious and appreciate that she warned which chapter was the serious one but after she started describing the suicide of her sister the book was intense on a level I really didn't anticipate.

If you like any part of this book I recommend reading the recent Ask Me Anything she did on reddit/books with a little extra help from her current husband to answer the high volume of softball questions. It expands on her friendship techniques mentioned in the last chapter and has a lot of other interesting thoughts.

I carried my copy around for a week after I got it and encouraged every person within earshot to read it and all I can really say is that even if a couple of chapters were a little strange or hard to relate to, I like this book alot.
posted by fomhar at 12:36 PM on October 11, 2020 [5 favorites]


I’ve been having a particularly rough time the past several weeks, and this book really helped me through it.
posted by PussKillian at 1:55 PM on October 11, 2020 [2 favorites]


I love the book, it's really strong.
posted by JHarris at 4:07 PM on October 11, 2020


I don't find it as laugh out loud funny and unputdownable as her first book, so it's taking me a bit longer to actual read it, but that's okay. Sometimes I need to give myself some space before I'm ready to read the next chapter.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:32 AM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Great book. Started a little slower than Hyperbole and a Half for me, but landed with the punch of a freight train by the end. Standouts for me included her memories of her sister, the story of the ugly frog, her attempts to become friends with herself, her night attempting to overcome all her fears at once, and Slobar the Gentle Orc, among others.

Which is a lot of standouts.
posted by kyrademon at 9:34 AM on October 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


I thought it was a great book, but was a bit disappointed that there weren't more funny stories -- but then the stick showed up in the neighbor's yard again and I completely lost it.

A+++ would recommend.
posted by Mchelly at 1:18 PM on October 13, 2020


"Sensing the pressure to lead, my first instinct was to give up."
posted by Gorgik at 8:06 AM on October 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


I loved this book. There is no chapter four, because sometimes things don't make sense, and we have to learn to live with that.
posted by mrgoat at 11:20 AM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]


"There just isn't enough power in the universe for everybody to have all of it" is a line that is going to be stuck in my head for some time.
posted by Lorc at 10:01 AM on October 31, 2020


So, for the first time in ten years, there was nothing around but me. I thought that's what I wanted. But when the relief wore off, it was actually a little weird not having anything around that wanted to interact with me...

Q. We need to pay attention to this thing's feelings and respond to its questions and care about its ideas?
Yes.
Q. Why?
Because that's what it needs.
Q. Why, though?
Because it is a person. And people need somebody who cares about them.
Q. It's a person?
Yes. Everybody is a person.

posted by MonkeyToes at 4:23 PM on December 5, 2020 [1 favorite]


I don't find it as laugh out loud funny and unputdownable as her first book, so it's taking me a bit longer to actual read it, but that's okay. Sometimes I need to give myself some space before I'm ready to read the next chapter.

This was similar to me experience with it. I was expecting something a little different, but I don't know if I could describe what that was. Maybe the tone here is more earnest, and a little more subdued? Its been awhile since I've read Hyperbole so I could be ascribing different tone to it than is actually there. I do get the feeling that what I just read was a very personal book, and it's just fine that it doesn't land in me the way I'd hoped it would. It's their story, and I'm glad I could read it.

I was super disappointed at the micropenis joke, though.
posted by curious nu at 7:05 AM on December 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


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