THE COMFORT BOOK by Matt Haig should provide solace to anyone in these uncertain times. I have been reading and recommending works for years by best-selling author Matt Haig, including The Midnight Library. And THE COMFORT BOOK, described by one reviewer as the “literary equivalent of a steaming hot chocolate on a chilly day,” definitely merits slow savoring. Haig, who often writes about mental health and his own experiences, has collected encouraging stories, notes, and lists on all varieties of subject matter. For example, he recounts the time he and his father were lost in a forest but followed the strategy: “if we keep going in a straight line, we’ll get out of here.” Like Elisabeth KΓΌbler-Ross, Haig reminds us that “the bottom of the valley never has the clearest view. … sometimes all you need to do in order to rise up again is to keep moving forward.” The chapters are short and one could browse this book (like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight!) on a daily basis. One particularly memorable quote for me is “it’s okay to be the teacup with a chip in it. That’s the one with a story.” I missed having a table of contents or some type of structure, but Haig says, “This book is as messy as life. … the theme is connection. … And we connect to all things. Human to human. Moment to moment. Pain to pleasure. Despair to hope.” Enjoy!
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