I met musician and videoblogger Dodie Clark in November 2017, at the signing event organised and hosted by Foyles – Grand Central Birmingham for her literary debut, Secrets for the Mad. Nine months prior to that, Dodie’s insightful videos on mental health, creativity and being a millennial and her incredibly sensitive music came into my life at a time when I needed them the most. I was confused, lost and exhausted after struggling for so long with a brain I didn’t fully understand, and watching the same sort of journey unfolding in Dodie’s craft provided me with a soothing feeling of huh, looks like I’m not alone. Needless to say, when she announced, later that summer, that she would be publishing a book I was jumping out of my shoes with excitement. Little did I know at the time that the very same book would bring me to meet one of the people I’ve looked up to the most in these formative years of my life.
Just like her catalogue on YouTube and her music, Secrets for the Mad: Obsessions, Confessions, and Life Lessons covers a wide array of themes, including, but not limited to coming of age, family, friendship, love, mental health, sexuality, artistic expression and self-discovery. All these things have played a massive part in shaping the person that Dodie, now 23, is today. The same things exist in the lives of so many young people, myself included, who might have come, or potentially will come across this book, and because reading it has helped me progress towards figuring so many of these questions out, I feel as though it’s my duty to make you guys read it, as well. So without further ado, this is my review of Secrets for the Mad, by Dodie Clark.
(photo source: Amazon.com listing)
For those of you who are slightly familiar with Dodie’s channels, doddleoddle and doddlevloggle, it’s safe to start by saying that Secrets for the Mad is a literary representation of Dodie’s videos: basically, you get everything squished between the covers of a book. You get the same gentleness, the same warm and nostalgic feeling, the same quiet longing for adventure that transpires in everything that Dodie creates. Many of the topics she explores in her videos are present in the book as well, just expanded upon, obviously, in a different way and having added a few more personal stories never told before on her channel. Although already hinted at in both her unique songwriting and her quirky Instagram captions, Dodie is a truly gifted writer and her book is a gourmet feast in terms of language and poetic metaphors. Last but not least, the compelling, elegant visuals, and the strategically-placed interludes containing lyrics from Dodie’s songs make the book a must-have collectible for the fans of the British artist and vlogger, as well as just a really nice thing to have.
But in case you’ve never come across what Dodie does before, let me start by saying that Secrets for the Mad is a collection of autobiographical essays, stories and snapshots from her life. Just like the title suggests, the author shares her most profound confessions related to several aspects that have influenced her existence at some point, and the life lessons that she’s learned from these assortments of circumstances. And contrary to everything that I’ve been told since I was very young, a 20-something individual does go through a lot, and has a good load of things to say about it. Dodie delves deeply into the times when her worst fears came true, and shares what her experience of overcoming these obstacles was like. The book starts with the acknowledgement that writing is her way of pulling through the times when her brain feels too heavy and life feels like too much, and throughout all the two hundred and fifty pages, you have the privilege of seeing an artist getting to work: picking situations apart, reflecting on what had been and making sense of the emotions they have in the aftermath, asking all the right questions to understand where they’re going, what they’re heading for. There is a lot of disorientation, but there is also a lot of confidence in this endeavour, and Dodie’s writing feels like a number of ballet, gracefully leaping from a stage of processing to another, showing that most of the time, it’s not about the destination but about the ride there. And having read the book while I was dealing with some complex thoughts and feelings myself, it certainly gave me the closure I so much craved.
An unforgettable moment: meeting Dodie at her book signing in November 2017.
(photo source: personal archive)
It wouldn’t be fair of me to give you explicit examples of things that Dodie writes about in Secrets of the Mad: not only would it spoil the book for you, but it would also impulsively reveal stories personal to the author, which no longer feel like one-to-one confessions once they leave the pages of the book. I encourage you to read it and find it all out by yourself. There are so many stories and narratives Dodie has to share, some of them serious and poignant, some of them silly and amusing, a perfect mix to get you thinking. She paints vivid images of both her happiest and most dreadful memories, with the language and attitude of somebody who feels too much and is extremely receptive to everything that the universe has to offer. Some might even describe this approach as a bit exaggerated, maybe even too dramatic, but I’d rather say it’s how an artist responds to the world around them. As somebody who is quite sensitive themselves, this book was a true roller coaster ride. I hardly let go of it for two consecutive weeks, reading during my breaks at uni or work and on my way home or to my friends’ places, on good and bad weather, and I’d been moved to tears more times than I can count.
The contents of Secrets for the Mad are accompanied by ethereal, minimalist illustrations that match the themes of their respective chapters. The art is simple, scarcely coloured and not too heavy for the eye, since the weight of the book is mostly carried by Dodie’s story and lovely use of language. The drawings were a nice, perfectly-timed break from the actual writing, and just really pleasant to look that. Although it’s stupid to judge a book by its cover, even literally, I also can’t help but acknowledge just how beautiful the cover of the book is, and how nice it feels to the touch. And that takes me back to a point that I made previously: after reading it for how many times it takes, Secrets for the Mad is still a stunning book to have.
(EDIT: I looked all over the internet but I simply couldn’t find the name of the artist that illustrated the book, and having left my copy of it at uni I decided to leave this bit of information out. LOL, please let me know if you find out who did the illustrations.)
Finally, the book introduces the reader to Dodie’s original music, through interludes of lyrics placed between different chapters of the book, the theme of the songs appropriately matching the subjects of those particular stories. As somebody who previously listened to Dodie’s discography before – and have been a long-time fan, as a matter of fact –, I was delighted to notice how well the songs actually fitted as part of the book. It is the peculiar lyricism of what Dodie writes that made them look like poems rather than songs, and appropriately adapted them for the narrative of Secrets for the Mad. I can only hope that reading the book will prompt those who are not familiar with Dodie’s music to eventually give it a try, and for all I know, they might just find their new favourite artist.
(photo source: Amazon.com listing)
I would understand why some people would think twice before giving this book a chance, though. Dodie’s career took off on YouTube, and she’s not the first creator from the platform to get a publishing deal, with rather unhappy examples casting a shadow on other YouTubers’ intention to write a book (just to give a couple of examples, Zoella’s ghostwriting scandal and the plagiarism accusations made against PointlessBlog). I can see how some potential readers might think YouTube creators don’t necessarily write their own books or aren’t particularly talented in terms of writing, and frankly, this isn’t a new thing. Think of all the celebrities that put out autobiographies for which they were supported by a ghostwriter, and it can be considered true that publishing companies promote these books to make the money necessary to support truly gifted, upcoming writers. I don’t find this deal bad or immoral in any way, and I’ve also been disappointed by some books that YouTubers put out throughout the last year or so. And because this is a subjective, uncensored book review on my personal blog, I’m taking my freedom to say that this is not the case with Secrets for the Mad. And if Dodie got this book published before she joined YouTube or made a successful musical career for herself, then it would’ve kick-started her career as a professional author.
Not sure whether this is a thing that book reviewers do, but I think I should now give this book a rating? I’m confident to say that Secrets for the Mad was a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars for me, and I’m not even saying this lightly. A brilliantly emotional, utterly thorough adventure of the heart that should be read by all millennials now coming of age. More than anything, reading this book was an amazing journey that I was more than honoured to be a part of.
What about you? Have you read Secrets for the Mad? If yes, what was your opinion of it? If not, do you now consider reading it? Let me know what you have to say in the comments down below!
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Check out Dodie Clark's Secrets for the Mad: Obsessions, Confessions and Life Lessons here.
Photo sources:
Book cover - Amazon.com listing (hyperlink on the picture)
Personal archive
Book extract - Amazon.com listing (hyperlink on the picture)