Milá Joy – Andrews Gary (2022)

A tender and touching book about the sudden death of beloved wife Joy. Skillful and expressive drawings accompany the autobiographical story in which the widowed father depicts his daily struggle to survive the terrible pain of losing his wife while caring for two children, Lily and Ben, so they can once again enjoy life. It is said that men cannot talk about their feelings. Andrews drew his feelings - and the result is more expressive than any words. Daily drawing became the way Gary dealt with his grief. We often observe the tragicomic effort of the family to function normally, to cope with a thousand everyday things that mom always knew how to do, and we understand the confusion Gary experiences when he realizes at night that his wife's side of the bed is empty... Gary's honest and often humorous illustrations capture the reader's heart. Dear Joy is a story about how one family learned to live again after tragedy. The illustrated diary became his daily therapy for coping with the longing for his suddenly lost wife while managing the care of two children. He continues to maintain his illustrated diary, adding one comic strip daily on Twitter and Instagram.