It's All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I've Drawn It Instead

I’ve enjoyed Ruby’s art on rubyetc.tumblr.com so had to borrow this when I spotted it in the library. ‘It’s All Absolutely Fine’ is a collection of her drawings and reflections on mental illness. Although I read it quickly, I found it moving and thoughtful. I particularly liked her comments on therapy:

What I’ve got a shot at controlling is the way I manage what’s happening. And that’s what I was in therapy for, not to be fixed, but to facilitate and support me finding some sort of way through my difficulties. Cos you know, I can sit there in the chair for fifty minutes, but I will always have to go away and deal with the other 10,030. Those minutes are mine. And I have the capacity, if not to be shiny happy people, to

show more

cut myself some slack when I’m suffering. And to allow the help and support in, rather than just dismiss it because I want evaporation of the ocean, not what feels like drops.

This was accompanied by a sketch of a therapist wearing a ‘Freud Says Relax’ t-shirt, because the book is also very funny. Ruby's comic about trying on bras is especially brilliant and accurate. And the drawings of creatures are all completely delightful. Also the comparison between penguins huddling for warmth and Londoners huddling under a bus stop in the rain: 'much like penguins except we are all angry and hate each other'. All in all, a very nice book with wise insights into mental health, dogs, and chickens. show less

This was a tough read but a good one. I see a lot of people have shelved it as humor but I didn’t because while I noticed some humor I didn’t notice that much bcause I was focused on the serious and sad content.

I think she does an excellent job concisely explaining exactly what it feels like to have an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder) and it’s probably applicable for addiction too, of how the mind is so full of the obsession that there isn’t much room for much else including life experiences, relationships, etc. By the way she draws herself as fat but in photos she currently looks neither overweight nor too thin. Her anorexia started at age 14. She seems to have been only 22 when she was creating this show more book and it’s heartening about how much progress she’s made with her eating disorder and mental health issues which include anxiety and depression. She does a good job of explaining how managing mental health issues is complicated. I found the last illustration with text in the book particularly poignant and I’m glad that she included it and placed it in the book where she did. I also especially loved and appreciated the “in the same boat” cartoon.

I would read more of this author’s books!

3-1/2 stars

I read a Hoopla e-edition, not a Kindle edition this is shelved. It was the only way I could borrow this book from my public library. show less

Very funny and super relatable. Similar to Hyperbole and a Half - with less writing and more pictures, also I found this book to be more focus on mental illness - depression, bi-polar, and eating disorders. Not only did she talk about these things she ACCURATELY describes living life with mental illness. I felt like I could relate to most of the pictures. I loved the drawings and I enjoyed the little bits of writing kinda summing up the chapters.

I did receive a free copy of this book from goodreads and im really glad that I was one of the people who won.

Thank you, Ruby. Thank you for your honesty and thank you for giving the world your art.

Well-done graphic non-fiction dealing with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and body image. The graphic medium is well suited to creating empathy and understanding where works alone don't quite capture the experiences of these mental health issues.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

In a Nutshell: A mental health memoir in graphic novel format. Mixes text and illustrative accompaniments. Too dry and boring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This graphic memoir details the author’s struggles with several mental health issues such as bulimia, mood disorder, anxiety, and body dysphoria. It is not entirely in graphic novel format; a part of the book is written in ordinary prose and the rest of it is in comics style.

The themes are great, and also sounds fairly genuine due to this being an OwnVoices work. But the execution was a bit too disjointed for my liking. There is no flow to the overall book, with topics switching across sections at random. The content is repetitive despite the themed chapters.

The tone is way too show more self-pitying and defensive. Not sure how to feel about this. I get that mental health is a journey, but if this isn't meant to be your private diary, why make your rants public? Isn't the purpose of such a book to make other sufferers feel seen and heard? But this book is just “I, me, my struggles” and nothing else. “Poor me” isn't an entertaining tune to hear on loop, especially when someone else is singing it.

The content is honest though; I especially appreciated the section about food and the author’s struggles with eating disorders.

Not sure if the book was trying to be funny on the whole as such memoirs often are. But just in case it helps, I didn’t crack even a little smile while reading it. None of the comics felt humorous.

And no, the above issues aren’t a result of any lack of personal experience of mental health issues on my side. On the contrary, I should have been able to relate to many of her feelings of inadequacy, but was left almost entirely unmoved by the writing style. I also didn’t like the foul language, though it might be excused as the author’s actual style of speaking in real life.

Sadly, the artwork is even worse than the writing. I didn’t like the B&W illustrations at all. I pick up graphic novels to see art better than scribbles… show less

I received this book through NetGalley. Because it was under the "comics and graphic novels" category, and because of the description, I thought this was going to be a humor book. Instead, it is about the author's mental illness. I felt like I left this book with a better understanding of what it feels like to live with mental illness. I was a little disappointed with the cartoons. I was hoping they would be more funny than they were. A few were good, the rest were kind of meh to me.

I understand Ruby Elliot has an online following. So read if you are a fan. If you haven't heard of her, then read at your own risk.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble connecting with this material, except for some of the bits about food and overeating. I was put off by the scribbly and only occasionally humorous cartoons and the generally depressing text pieces.

I feel the creator is trying to achieve the humor/serious balance exhibited in [b:Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me|13542990|Marbles Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me|Ellen Forney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388198802s/13542990.jpg|19107284] and [b:Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened|17571564|Hyperbole and a Half Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened|Allie show more Brosh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409522492s/17571564.jpg|24510592] and not quite getting there. show less