Disappointed Monsters

"Disappointed Monsters" is an adult A to Z of life's most disappointing and disheartening moments, manifested in the sort of creatures you more commonly find inhabiting a graphic novel. These are the daily setbacks that turn us all into monsters, and yet make us all human. Featuring gloriously gloomy illustrations, plus checklists for you to tick-off all those disappointed monsters you encounter in your own reality, this is the perfect gift to give your most morose friends and relatives. Each letter introduces a daily setback familiar to us all, experienced by a crestfallen creature from the imagination of author and illustrator Eli Bowes. They range from Alarm (a disappointed monster who wakes at 6.15 a.m. on a Saturday, having neglected to switch off his workday alarm) to Zip (a disappointed monster whose expensive hoodie has suffered a fastening malfunction) via an array of fantastically illustrated beings sinking into everyday ennui due to flat-pack furniture, a bad first date, a hair-choked plughole or an empty toilet roll. So, next time you're furiously scrubbing jam off the carpet before your parents arrive, or trying to rescue tea that the milk has turned into a lump-laden mush, remember that somewhere someone (or something) shares your pain.