Audiobook Review: The Comfort Book, by Matt Haig

I found Matt Haig's The Comfort Book in the library listings while looking for his fiction, and decided that in these times, a book with that title was worth a closer look. 

 

Title: The Comfort Book

Author: Matt Haig. Read by the author

Publication Info:  Penguin Random House 2021. 3 hours. Hardcover by Penguin Life, 2021, 272 pages.

Source: Library

Publisher's Blurb (via Goodreads):
“It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard.”

The Comfort Book is Haig’s life raft: it’s a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig’s future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence. 

My Review:
It was an odd experience to listen to a book like this as audio. It's not really meant to be a continuous narrative. The bits and pieces are often only a few paragraphs, and should be mulled over. Honestly, this is a book to own, in a paper version, and mark up with stickies and comments and whatever else you need to find again and again the bits that help you.

I'm very glad this was read by the author. Not only does he read well, but it's a very personal document. You can tell that the stuff was gathered by him for his own comfort, and he's open about the fact that there have been times in his life when he needed any life raft or straw to cling to. These are his straws. 

I'm not sure if I agree with every single thing Haig says, but I do know that I need a copy so I can look at it again and contemplate his words in these challenging times. You may need it too.

P.S.: I'll be reading those novels, too. Thanks to Jemima Pett for tipping me off to Matt Haig.

 

FTC Disclosure: I checked The Comfort Book out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  



Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
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