Summary and Reviews of Something, Not Nothing by Sarah Leavitt

Media Reviews

New York Times In Something, Not Nothing, Sarah Leavitt embraces the ways that comics can work as poetry, creating pages that scan like quatrains and tercets of interestingly varied (but always precise) meter to describe the territory of grief.

Quill and Quire Leavitt's experiments with form and medium over the course of two years coalesced into an emotional, inventive work that meditates on loss while celebrating the possibilities of moving forward.

The Tyee Something, Not Nothing is a resonant, deeply felt reflection of the many contours of grief: its darkness, of course, but also how life itself is darkly funny. And life-altering loss offers a new way of understanding the world as it is ... One of the most rewarding, memorable and sustaining qualities of Something, Not Nothing lies in Leavitt's capacity to chronicle the darkest days of grief and, in the process, provide readers with an unexpected gift: perceptive, lasting reflections on what makes life worth living

Xtra Ultimately, what Leavitt manages to capture [in Something, Not Nothing], which, to be honest, seems like it should be impossible, is how MAiD can be personal, and how you can hold respect for your loved one and mourn life as you knew it at the same time.

BC Living Leavitt's graphic memoir] Something, Not Nothing took [on] a life of its own, as abstract images and mixed media - such as watercolours, coloured pencil and ink - blended with poetic text. The book guides readers through the couple's decision to end Donimo's life, and Leavitt's own heartbreak and emotions that accompanied the choice. The end result is beautiful and moving.

Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Leavitt labels Something Not Nothing 'a collection of comics,' but that phrase barely begins to describe Leavitt's formally innovative artwork: freehand panels and full-page images that combine poetic text with illustrations and abstract images and textures, realized in watercolor, ink, and colored pencil. She chronicles the couple's progress toward the decision to end Donimo's life, as well as her own deep resistance and terror, taking us literally to a place beyond words ... A uniquely gorgeous chronicle. Full box of tissues recommended.

Publishers Weekly Leavitt's drawings depict her emotional upheaval with poetic grace, in imagery ranging from abstract black-and-white to warm colors and recognizable figures during moments of serenity and acceptance. This unflinching chronicle offers readers who have experienced loss a sense of catharsis and solace.

 Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, author of Noopiming Something, Not Nothing is a stunning visual and poetic mapping of belonging, attachment, love, and tremendous loss. Through tiny portraits and vignettes, Leavitt charts a course through the emotional chaos of grief, anchored in an atmosphere of love and a practice of presence. The result is not your typical book about grief, but an artistic treatise challenging readers to live and love more courageously, especially in the most difficult of times.

 Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir A gorgeous, heart-wrenching, deeply human meditation on love and loss. There were pages that lifted my spirits and pages that pierced me to my core. Sobbed through the majority of reading it, but couldn't put it down. Leavitt's mapmaking of the landscape of grief is a gift to us all.

 Nicole J Georges, author of Calling Dr. Laura Sarah Leavitt has created a beautiful monument in this book: a primal portrait of grief and a powerful testament to a hard and lasting love. I believe that we as artists are trying to share our emotional realities with our readers and invite them into the feeling even when they've not had this particular experience. Leavitt succeeds in this over and over again through the intimacy she lets the reader in on and the powerful juxtaposition of her art and words. This book is a beautiful, deep, and powerful use of the comics form.

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