THE SUNDAY REVIEW | EVERYTHING IS OK – DEBBIE TUNG

**Trigger Warning: This book and this review deal with and discuss mental health issues – depression in particular. If you are sensitive to or triggered by this topic, please take care of yourself and skip this review.**

I discovered Debbie Tung last year when I was looking for graphic novels, and books that dealt with  mental health. Her work is beautiful, vulnerable and reflects the reality of people who are dealing with all kinds of internal struggles – from introversion to social anxiety to depression. Everything Is Ok focuses on the latter.

This book was a bit of a double edged sword for me. It was definitely an accurate representation of what it feels like to struggle under the weight of depression. It captures the feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and defeat. The days when getting out of bed is an enormous effort and accomplishing anything more than that is impossible. It is a beautifully-rendered account of Tung’s experiences, and it’s a wonderful reflection for those who are in the thick of it.

One element I liked was that it shows not only the weight of depression and how difficult it is to fight against, but also things that can help. It shows Tung’s therapy sessions, her support network, and some of the coping strategies she uses. It also shows that these are in no way a magic cure. Depression is a beast, and just when you think you’re past it, it comes crashing back. It’s like a living entity that has a mind of its own, but that also wants yours. It lies to you (“you’re worthless,” “no one cares about you”) but does it in your own voice. It’s extremely serious, extremely debilitating, and different for everyone.

Another part I liked is that, though a lot of the book is in the trenches, it shows how if you can learn to ride it out, to care for yourself, and to lean into the healthy coping strategies that do help (even if they don’t work instantly), things do always improve. The dark part feels like everything when you’re in it, but it never is – there’s always a point when it lessens. The book leads us by the hand through an entire cycle of depression, including the return of light, ever so slowly. It’s a good reminder that everything passes, even the darkest of times, and that you are strong enough to survive. It also shows that it’s worth surviving – that no matter how bad things are, there’s always hope of a brighter day, and this dark time will not last forever.

This is a lesson I’ve learned myself through post-partum depression and subsequent depressive episodes. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also neurodivergent, which exacerbated everything. It’s a hard road. I’m not going to say that I have the answers – or any answers, really. All I can say is that I learned some really important lessons through the experiences I had. I learned to really be in the moment and block out some of those negative voices (and the ones I can’t aren’t quite so loud – I know not to trust them, and I have other voices that are more kind and gentle on me as well now). I learned to hold on tightly to the things I had to survive for (my kid being absolutely the most important part of that). I learned how thin the membrane is that separates my healthy mind from the inability to cope, which was the scariest part, and the part that has changed me most profoundly. But I also learned that it always, without exception, does pass. It does improve. No matter how bad it gets or how hopeless I felt or how much that voice told me that it never would.

All this said, while this book is clearly excellent and important, I did find it hard to read. In large part because it digs deeper into the darkness than her other books, in part because it spends more time there, and in part because it’s just plain hard to face, even when I’m doing okay. It brought up a lot of the feelings I’d had in my own experiences of depression, and it was uncomfortable. For that reason, while I’d say this is a great book if you’re looking to understand depression in someone you love, I’d recommend it with extreme caution for anyone who is currently experiencing or has experienced depression. It’s a lot to face, but if you’re in a strong place and can handle it, it will give you the relief of knowing that you’re not alone, and that there are other people out there who have been in the same place. It provides some distance and perspective and does that magic that good books do of making it possible to stand back and see how the character in the book should handle a situation that felt too difficult to navigate from the inside. For that alone, this book was worth reading.

From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression—because sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle.

Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it’s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost.

The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love, and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health.

In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won’t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right. – Goodreads

Book Title: Everything Is OK
Author: Debbie Tung
Series: No
Edition: Paperback
Published By: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Released: September 27, 2022
Genre: Graphic Novel, Mental Health
Pages: 208
Date Read: December 29, 2022
Rating: 7.5/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.33/5 (3,232 ratings)