Joy from blog Joyful Antidotes is here today with a review of Matthew Williams’s new book, Something Changed.
I’m a sucker for a self-help book, I admit it. I don’t care if you think they are cheesy, pointless or filled with regurgitated rubbish. When I become low and it gets hard to see the positive in anything, they often help. Even if, after pages and pages of nothing, just one line gives me a glimmer of hope again, it was worth it. I found that glimmer in this book.
Something Changed: Stumbling Through Divorce, Dating and Depression by Matthew Williams asks the following question based on his own life: In the aftermath of marriage breakdown how do we pick ourselves up and start again? This book navigates us through his journey of divorce, dating and self-discovery while battling depression.
It was the depression element of Something Changed that attracted me. It could be said that I have a slightly odd obsession with hearing other people’s stories of despair – only when they come out the other side, mind you! I guess it helps me feel at peace with my own story. And, like I said in the intro, this book helped me find a glimmer of hope in my situation, that I will feel somewhat “normal” again. I guess this is why Williams and people like him write these books, to help bring about a positive effect and, for me, it is proof that it works.
I called this a self-help book in the intro. I’m not sure if that was the intention but that was how it felt to me. It didn’t have enough details about Wiilliams’ life for me to consider it some kind of autobiography. Saying that, it wasn’t like the usual self-help books on the market. The advice he offers was not obvious, condescending or obnoxious. You feel like you are just reading the story of some man’s struggle until about 1/3 of the way through it dawns on you that he has some pretty smart things to saw, which are turning on lightbulbs in your brain. I especially liked Williams’ thoughts on the need to be perfect all the time.
I also really enjoyed the layout and writing style of Something Changed. Williams has a clear writing style and is quite witty. The chapters are short and nicely broken down and I liked the poems which were scattered throughout the pages.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I encourage picking up a copy if you are going through a hard time at the moment, or know someone who is. If just one sentence has a positive effect on you, believe me, it will be worthwhile.
I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this book online at Goodreads or Amazon UK.
This post first appeared on Joyful Antidotes. It has been re-published here with permission.
Joy is an Irish girl living in Berlin, a full-time content marketer and an almost full-time blogger. She started her blog Joyful Antidotes in 2011 after completing an internship on the news team of an NGO. It was at that point that she decided she would dedicate most of her energy to a career in writing, whether it be through or blog or as an employee at a company. Over the years her blog has grown from a digital diary of her life in Berlin to a forum for book reviews.
