Rapid review: Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun

Goodbye, Again

By Jonny Sun

Finished reading: 27/08/21

My rating: 3/5 stars

“I believe that the things you notice -- that you love, that make you pause -- make up who you are. And so it feels, in a way, like those things are a part of you, even though they are outside of you. Which makes me wonder if it would be more accurate to say, perhaps, that a piece of you is kept alive by a part of them.”

Goodbye, Again is a collection of essays, reflections and illustrations compiled by Jonny Sun over the course of 3 years.

It is a wise and comforting read. Like a therapy session sprinkled with guidance for caring for houseplants and recipes for cooking eggs. I thought the poetic pieces were really creative. I particularly enjoyed the sections discussing over-working and anxiety, I've bookmarked many of the sections to come back to in a time of need. It's the right sort of book to read when you're feeling dizzy from the weight of the world. It just feels very warm and grounding.

Having said this, I didn’t love this book as much as I was anticipating. I’ll be honest, I was expecting something closer to everyone's an aliebn when ur an aliebn too with much more illustration. But the illustrations that were used served a purpose and were executed well. The general structure was a bit static and seemed to stay in one place. I was expecting something more dynamic and wanted to feel like I was being taken on a journey. It’s difficult to review this fairly as it’s clearly a personal journey for Sun. I’m certain his words can help others, but it is inherently a book of private thoughts, reflections and mental processings. I enjoyed the first half a lot but from the midway point a lot of sections felt like fillers and it just lost momentum for me. Perhaps I just related more to the first few sections than the last few.

Overall, it was a nice read and enjoyed reflecting on my own life as Sun reflected on his. It didn’t blow me away, but it was a well-needed excuse to pause and allow the world to slow down for a while.