A review by rachreadsbooks
Finding Joy by Gary Andrews
5.0
This is a book about finding joy from sadness. How time can heal things, how life becomes a new normal, but you still remember those who have gone.
Gary Andrews is an animator, married the love of his life, had two beautiful children, and sadly lost his wife suddenly in 2017. He continued his daily doodles through his grief and this collection has been put together to show us the progression through his grief in the following 3 years, showing the ups and downs. It's heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hopeful.
The illustrations are black line art, with some sketching and white highlights. Set against a brown paper background, they are really simple but pretty and very aesthetic. What really makes this book great though, are the comments alongside the drawings.
Covering grief, loneliness, sadness, depression, friendships, new relationships with his children, coping as a widower and single dad, it made me cry. It is written in a way that you instantly fall in love with this family and the funny observations of the kids are so cute. Things get worse, they get better, and we end with hope.
The end includes resources for charities, health advice for things to watch out for in regards to sepsis, mental health resources, and Andrews' own advice for coping. I love when authors include this at the end as a book like this can really bring up emotions in readers and it's important to provide support following it, especially when dealing with mental health. I think a lot of people will relate to this book. I can only imagine what it is like losing someone so close to you, but this book shined a slither of hope that things can get better, albeit a new normal.
Gary Andrews is an animator, married the love of his life, had two beautiful children, and sadly lost his wife suddenly in 2017. He continued his daily doodles through his grief and this collection has been put together to show us the progression through his grief in the following 3 years, showing the ups and downs. It's heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hopeful.
The illustrations are black line art, with some sketching and white highlights. Set against a brown paper background, they are really simple but pretty and very aesthetic. What really makes this book great though, are the comments alongside the drawings.
Covering grief, loneliness, sadness, depression, friendships, new relationships with his children, coping as a widower and single dad, it made me cry. It is written in a way that you instantly fall in love with this family and the funny observations of the kids are so cute. Things get worse, they get better, and we end with hope.
The end includes resources for charities, health advice for things to watch out for in regards to sepsis, mental health resources, and Andrews' own advice for coping. I love when authors include this at the end as a book like this can really bring up emotions in readers and it's important to provide support following it, especially when dealing with mental health. I think a lot of people will relate to this book. I can only imagine what it is like losing someone so close to you, but this book shined a slither of hope that things can get better, albeit a new normal.