By: Alex Florescu

Hyperbole and a Half is a fantastic book.

If you don’t believe me, read the back cover. Allie Brosh is witty, funny and honest. Reading her book made me want to be her best friend. She has an uncanny ability to portray even the most touchy and raw of human emotions through humour.

What’s even better, Hyperbole is a real-life adult picture book. Except don’t expect Picasso, because what you are going to find is doodles. Lots and lots of doodles. Pay attention to these doodles, they are as important to the stories as the words themselves. They are funny and ridiculous but you can’t ever take them too seriously.

Allie originally started off as a blog writer, as a way to procrastinate for a physics exam (sound familiar?) but did not go unnoticed for long. In 2013, Advertising Age named her one of the fifty most influential creative figures in the world. That same year, her book Hyperbole and a Half came out. It is a collection of a few of her best blog posts, along with several new stories. When a friend gifted it to me for Christmas last year, I could barely wait to get home from our dinner out and crack it open.

It’s the kind of book you don’t get enough of, and I read it all in one sitting. However, it is also the kind of novel you can work your way through chapter by chapter, as each is a standalone story. Whatever your preferred method, it is definitely a top pick I would recommend to anyone. Aside from the pretty frequent use of swear words, which aren’t necessarily in everyone’s comfort zone, this book really could do no wrong. Especially for those who feel as if they are going through a tough time, this is the novel to lift your spirits and make you realize that there really are others out there with the same insecurities and worries as you. Those people just happen to be Allie Brosh, the kind of girl who writes a story about cake and pulls it off.

You can tell Allie is smart. The uses-big-words-but-doesn’t- know-it kind of smart. But she is also so down to earth. From recounting stories of testing her dog’s IQ to tackling topics like depression, you will laugh so hard your stomach hurts and cry like Allie’s pain is yours.

Reading her book feels like talking to an old friend from your childhood. It just fits.