Solutions and Other Problems—Funny Stories About Horrible Things

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh is a partially illustrated, partially written memoir-ish book about parts of Allie’s life. It’s largely funny, even though horrible things happen.

1—Life is Weird

Seriously. A lot of what Allie chronicles are just the random, weird things in life, told in a way that highlights the what-the-fuck-ness of it all, but also made me laugh a lot.

2—Life is Meaningless

There really is some heavy shit in this book—death, depression, hope, lack of hope, persistence in the face of it all anyway. But, again, usually in a way that made me laugh despite myself. You have been warned.

3—Life is Random

The first chapter is about how, as a child, Allie was determined to get herself stuck in a bucket. There’s a whole chapter about how fucked up The Ugly Duckling and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are as children’s stories. There’s another about babysitting a child who it tuns out is deathly afraid of dandelions. There’s dogs and a cat and people and loneliness and fucked up behavior and it feels light and heavy at the same time and…seriously, I can’t explain it all, just read it.

Conclusion

Solutions and Other Problems is defiant in the face of meaninglessness. Allie finds or makes humor wherever she can. I loved this book. It’s the first story I’ve been able to read in four months.