*I was given an ARC of How Lucky Am I in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Ten Speed Press and Christian Watson for my copy of this graphic novel*
Synopsis:
In this poignant, affirming, and beautifully illustrated journey, social media sensation Mr Skelly explores the ups and downs of existence and discovers the makings of a meaningful life.
“How lucky am I, to have lost what I wanted, to find what I deserved”
Join beloved Mr Skelly, a gentle skeleton wandering across lush landscapes and treacherous terrains, through times of joy, loss, grief and love, to find his family and – ultimately – a safe home.
Along the way, he discovers life lessons which help us remember what to hold onto and what to let go of, to realise how lucky we all are, because this beautifully fragile present moment is truly all we have.
Mr Skelly invites you to shift your lens, make peace with what you can’t control, appreciate what can’t be seen, and live your life to the utmost of your ability.
How Lucky Am I is a simple reminder that, in the end, we’re all made of the same bones. With gentle words and hand-painted imagery, this book hopes to shine a softer light on what’s often overlooked – and maybe, in doing so, help us remember what truly matters.
Review:
How Lucky Am I is what I would call a ‘coffee table book’. You could dip in and out of this at any point, start with literally any page you’d like and you’d still have an understanding of this book’s core themes.
I really liked the longer sections of text that related the author’s own experiences and feelings about a certain topic to the art you see in that section. Without these this would feel very shallow and just a glorified art book, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but these sections really elevated the whole experience and it made it feel like sharing stories with a friend.
I didn’t know a lot about the artist before checking this out but I have definitely seen Mr Skelly online. It’s a character design I really like and the hand painted pages were stunning. I’m usually talking about how much I love bright, bold graphic novels, but the muted colours and darker atmosphere really suits the somber, reflective tone of How Lucky Am I.
The perspectives given in How Lucky Am I are not new ones but they are ones that everyone should take a look at. A lot of them are some form of “be gentle with yourself”, “don’t give up” etc, but a few really stood out to me:
- “How lucky am I to be broken so the light could come in.”
- “I hope death feels like being picked up from the backseat and carried to my bed half asleep, where tucked in and eyes closed I can hear those who love me talking through a cracked door.”
- “Once you realise you won’t be around forever life becomes magical.”
This feels like a weird book to give a rating to. There’s not much to it but what is there is lovely. I think if you’re particularly into this aesthetic (like me) this will be an instant hit.
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