In this intimate and moving graphic memoir, Teresa Wong writes and illustrates the story of her struggle with postpartum depression in the form of a letter to her daughter Scarlet. Equal parts heartbreaking and funny, Dear Scarlet perfectly captures the quiet desperation of those suffering from PPD and the profound feelings of inadequacy and loss. As Teresa grapples with her fears and anxieties and grasps at potential remedies, coping mechanisms, and her mother's Chinese elixirs, we come to understand one woman's battle against the cruel dynamics of postpartum depression. Dear Scarlet is a poignant and deeply personal journey through the complexities of new motherhood, offering hope to those affected by PPD, as well as reassurance that they are not alone. Reviews: This book is so important -- it's like a friend reaching through the darkness and telling your own story back to you. It's universal and heartbreaking and so, so reassuring. Moms are so strong. -Lucy Knisley, author of Kid Gloves Teresa Wong's spare, lovely exploration of postpartum depression is compassionate and direct in all the right ways and, most importantly, locates the thread of joy that runs through a life -- even if, in our most despairing hours or days or weeks, it seems as though it's been lost to us forever. -Emily Flake, author of Mama Tried In a society where women's stories of childbirth and early motherhood are expected to be either fairy tales or else not told at all, Dear Scarlet is an act of bravery. I am so grateful that Teresa Wong has chosen to share this sensitive, charming and honest work with us. -Sarah Glidden, author of Rolling Blackouts Full to bursting with sadness, insight and hope. -Tom Hart, author of Rosalie Lightning I love this book! It's full of pain, despair, beauty and joy -- communicated masterfully in simple, elegant comics. Teresa Wong moves easily from pages full of frank details about physical and emotional suffering to heartbreakingly silent depictions of the isolation and blankness of depression. Through it all, she maintains a self-awareness and sense of humour that keep us reading. Dear Scarlet offers validation and comfort, not to mention some laughs of recognition, for anyone who has suffered pain and kept 'fumbling through the sadness.' -Sarah Leavitt, author of Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer's, My Mother and Me About the Author: Teresa Wong is a Calgary writer who had three children in less than five years. At first, she feared motherhood would destroy her, but is pleasantly surprised to find herself continually remade. When the kids are asleep, she writes and draws pictures. When she is asleep, it's never for long. Dear Scarlet is her first book. |