Review: Secrets for the Mad by Dodie Clark

“When you can’t find your purpose in a day, make it to look after yourself.”

I went into this book not knowing too much about the author, other than being absolutely in love with her cover of the song Novels with Rusty Clanton. I must’ve replayed it over a hundred times since I found it back in April.

I consider it to be one of my all-time favorite songs, thanks to its visceral lyrics that make my heart skip a beat without fail. So I was bound to read Secrets for the Mad sooner or later. Plus, there’s the fact that I adore reading memoirs.

Nonetheless, I was glad to discover Dodie’s writing style flowing really easily in here, especially with her short tales. I was unexpectedly swept into her life from page one and consequently managed to read the book from cover to cover with little to no breaks.

This wickedly fun and inspiring collection of personal stories, lessons, song lyrics, and photos from the beloved British vlogger Dodie Clark, contains vitally important things on a plethora of topics:

• From struggles with suicidal thoughts, self-harm, dependent personality disorder (DPD), depression and anxiety, to body image, eating disorders, and self-hate.
• Also notes on crushes, love, heartbreak, manipulative and emotionally abusive relationships. Sex and portraying a realistic depiction of sexual intimacy, not just an overview that you get to read basically everywhere.
• Bisexuality and coming out, feminism in a world that favors men, family, cooking tips, and so much more on experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in life.

Plus, the line-drawn illustrations spread throughout the book was something I was always looking forward to. Though the first half of this book made me spiral a bit, which consequently had me going about it quite delicately, over time, with the topics changing in for some lighter ones, I sank deeply into Dodie’s world of words and lyrics.

Her goal shared at the beginning of wanting a place to share the depths behind the music and let the world into my turbulent mind was more than met in my opinion. I also came out of Secrets for the Mad feeling genuinely grateful that I got to connect with Clark over the course of my day through her honesty, wisdom, and wit. The same frankness that I greatly cherished with Arden Rose’s Almost Adulting.

And last but not least, I, of course, had to listen to a Dodie classic while reading her work:

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication: November 7th, 2017

4/5 stars

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