Former journalist/magazine publisher Suzy Hopkins never expected her marriage to implode, but after three decades, her husband announced "starry-eyed that he'd reconnected with a former girlfriend." Encouraged and enabled by her daughter, author/artist Hallie Bateman, the duo created What to Do When You Get Dumped, an affecting graphic how-to for gradually, realistically "unbreaking your heart." Vulnerably heart-wrenching, yet infused with laugh-out-loud humor, mother and daughter create a rallying guide to learning to be okay.
"If you need a thread of hope to mend a tattered heart," the dedication opens, "this book is for you." Hopkins's introduction is notably raw: "Welcome to your new life: the one you didn't ask for, didn't want, and never expected." That "splashing and flailing" after being "unceremoniously and unequivocally dumped" lasts weeks, months, years. Eschewing drugs, alcohol, replacement relationships, Hopkins slowly sheds her grief through writing this "pep talk of sorts," presented as a revealing countdown that starts at 1,582 days from reaching the promising possibility: "the day you unbreak your heart."
Hopkins immediately admits to an initially unbearable journey--relentless panic, damaging flashbacks, agonizing aftershocks--but tiny steps signal progress. This is when simple to-do lists that might include "stare out window," just for the satisfaction of checking the completed box, are exactly enough. Choosing to live is the biggest accomplishment. Amid "The Muddle," she advises "go easy on yourself," ask for help, don't forget to shower, and maybe use a sledgehammer to break something co-owned with the ex (Hopkins picked a litter box). Halfway through, "The Beginning" commences with the freedom to choose a new life--although screaming and faking it to get through the day is still okay. Saying yes to the unexpected may be the best path to getting unbroken.
Dumped is Hopkins's and Bateman's second glorious collaboration, after 2018's What to Do When I'm Gone. Again, Hopkins writes, Bateman draws--in full-color, cartoon-esque style, rife with outrage and mourning, but also warm laughter, across saturated pages, occasional panels, labeled diagrams and dioramas. Underscoring their symbiotic bond, Bateman's illustrations highlight intimate details that perhaps only a daughter could know: the hindsight dissection of family photos, her mother's wardrobe ("stretch-tastic sweatpants!"), her "helpful" movies (the aptly titled Cast Away). By sharing their mutual, unconditional support, mother and daughter provide both the empathy and tools to inspire others to "believe [they] could make it through to a new life... [from] steps A, B, and C, and if [necessary], D through Z." --Terry Hong
Shelf Talker: Mother Suzy Hopkins and daughter Hallie Bateman create a heartfelt, encouraging, surprisingly humorous guide to recovering from the overwhelming break-up of a long relationship.