Over half a million sad ghosts follow artist Lize Meddings‘ Sad Ghost Club on Instagram. With a focus on positive mental health and making sure even the saddest of ghosts never feels alone, Meddings’ art has transitioned from screen to page, in the first volume of The Sad Ghost Club.
Aimed at younger readers, the graphic novel follows SG, a lonely ghost who fights off their insecurities and accepts an invitation to a party. Once there, they’re overwhelmed by the people and the noise and struggle to fit in. But then they meet another sad ghost named Socks, hiding behind their phone in a quiet corner.
In Socks they find a kindred spirit (pardon the pun), and though they might not worry about exactly the same things in exactly the same way, Socks is willing to listen and to share their own experiences. It’s a soothing and sweet reminder that we’re never truly alone and that someone knows how we feel, even if they don’t fully understand it. This is, as the blurb proclaims, not a sad story – no matter what the title suggests.
The Sad Ghost Club is aesthetically lovely, unavoidably relatable, and, perhaps most importantly, filled with hope. Ending with SG reaching out to another sad ghost they see disappearing into the night (and, by extension, to any sad ghosts reading), it’s a gentle exploration of anxiety, depression, isolation, and the power of a good person willing to lend an ear.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Lize Meddings’ The Sad Ghost Club is out now, published by Hodder Children’s Books, an imprint of Hachette. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
