Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2013

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-7

Chapters 8-11

Chapters 12-18

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Key Figures

Allie Brosh

Allie Brosh is a typical elder Millennial who is obsessed with the Internet, nachos, her dogs. She has blonde hair and an impish disposition. She struggles with life skills and her mental health throughout the course of the book. She’s the central character in every chapter. When chapters do not directly involve Brosh, they tend to involve Brosh’s relationship to another character in the book, such as her partner, sister, or dogs.

Brosh wrote this book based on her popular webcomic and blog, which was also titled Hyperbole and a Half. Some of the chapters are adapted from pieces previously published in briefer format there, though other chapters are new.

Brosh’s Mother

Depicted as a frowning woman in an orange dress, Brosh’s mother recurs in several pieces in the book. Often, her role in a piece is to prevent young Allie from getting something she wants; other times, she serves as a solemn foil to Allie’s antics.

In Chapter 4, she prevents Allie from eating her grandfather’s entire birthday cake; in Chapter 8, she gets Allie and her sister lost in the woods; in Chapter 12, Allie and her sister annoy her mother with a talking parrot toy; in Chapter 16, Allie’s mother takes her to a party after orthodontic surgery.

Brosh’s mother is not named, and she frequently appears in pieces alongside Brosh’s father and sister as other unnamed secondary characters. Brosh’s father and sister rarely speak, though they are depicted in the book’s illustrations.

Duncan

Allie’s partner and eventual spouse, Duncan, appears throughout the book wearing a red shirt. He has a dark, fuzzy beard and head of hair. Frequently, Duncan’s demeanor is one of mild concern for Allie, whether that’s when she decides to adopt another dog (as in Chapter 5) or when she’s deeply depressed (as in Chapter 7).

Though Duncan often appears as a background character, he is another character central to the action in Chapter 13, when a goose invades the home he shares with Allie. Duncan is depicted as a steady, caring provider.