Barely Functional Adult: It'll All Make Sense Eventually

By Meichi Ng

“Funny, introspective, and touching. . . . The lessons Meichi gently shares with us through delightful stories are full of wisdom for people at any life stage who need a reminder they’re not alone.” —Mari Andrew, author of Am I There Yet?

From the creator of Barely Functional Adult, a painfully relatable webcomic with over 130k followers on Instagram, comes a never-before-seen collection of incriminating short stories about exes, murder, friendship, therapy, anxiety, Hufflepuff, sucking at things, freaking out about things, calming down momentarily, melodrama, wrinkles, pettiness, and other wonderful delights.

Wielding her trademark balance of artful humor, levity, and heartbreaking introspection, Meichi Ng’s indisputably relatable collection of short stories holds a mirror to our past, present, and future selves. Featuring a swaddled Barely Functional Adult as its protagonist who says all the things we think but dare not say, this book is equal parts humorous and heartbreaking as it spans a spectrum of topics from imposter syndrome, therapy, friendships, first loves, letting go of exes, to just trying to find your purpose in the world. Prepare to excitedly shove this book in your friend’s face with little decorum as you shout, “THIS IS SO US!”

In this beautiful, four-color collection compiled completely of never-before-seen content, Meichi perfectly captures the best and worst of us in every short story, allowing us to weep with pleasure at our own fallibility. Hilarious, relatable, and heart-wrenchingly honest, Barely Functional Adult will have you laughing and crying in the same breath, while taking solace in the fact that we’re anything but alone in this world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062945600

Meichi Ng

Meichi Ng is the creator of Barely Functional Adult, a comic she started back in 2015. She tells nonsense stories from a teeny tiny apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Book preview

Dedication

For the people I love,

Who tolerate my nonsense on a regular basis.

For Mum,

Who has supported every ridiculous dream I’ve ever pursued.

For Dad,

Who taught me how to be brave in the face of darkness.

For Jenny,

Who was my very first therapist.

* * *

& for all the Barely Functional Adults out there,

Who ought to know they’re not alone.

Epigraph

Don’t forget.

We write our own stories.

And we can write whatever the hell we want.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph

Introduction

Chapter 1: My Pet Fish

Chapter 2: Gum

Chapter 3: The Glory of Quitting

Chapter 4: Therapy

Chapter 5: Space Dust

Chapter 6: The Long Con

Chapter 7: Oldpocalypse

Chapter 8: The Grass on the Other Side

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introduction

There is a strange but potent comfort in the discovery that someone else in the universe has experienced the exact same feelings as we have.

And seeing these feelings—the ones we previously thought were unique to us—perfectly articulated by someone else always comes as a bit of a surprise.

It makes me wonder whether all our stories are more or less the same—that there is a fixed number of emotions to be had in this world, and despite the distinctive notes that separate your stories from mine, the underlying feelings that we experience—even the most deeply isolating ones—are actually much more universal than we think.

In writing this book, I spent a lot of time looking back. And in doing so, I came to discover that my perspective on my own stories has shifted significantly since many of these events transpired. Perhaps this is a result of having experienced the same stories play out with different people over the years and finding myself playing new parts every time. It’s hard not to look back with increased objectivity once you’ve been the other person. I’d like to think that this impartiality has given me more clarity to make sense of it all, but that is simply something I like to think.

Here you will find the stories I needed to read at different points in my life—I didn’t get to read them when I needed to, but I hope these stories will come to you at a time when you do.

And while these stories are my own, I hope they will feel familiar to you in all the right ways.

Chapter 1

My Pet Fish

Shortly after becoming a strong, independent adult, I decided it was finally time to start a family.

So, I bought a fish.

My fish adventure began like all my adventures, with a single impulsive idea prancing through my brain, followed by an almost immediate compulsion to act on it. There’s only a small sliver of time to follow through on your fun, impractical notions before that pesky voice of reason reels you out of it—so you gotta act fast. This is the logic that led me to text my best friend at 6:28 a.m. on a Saturday morning with the following message:

Me: NEED A FISH BABY!!! CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME A RIDE?

Eleven words. No further context. I realized I had accidentally nicked the caps lock, but I liked how it aptly communicated the sense of urgency in the situation, so I left the message as-is. Two minutes later, a response came through.

Best friend: Sure.*

I was ecstatic, a state that would be preserved for the next three and a half hours because, as we would later learn, the pet store doesn’t open until ten.

* * *

My best friend is used to my nonsense, which is why we are best friends, I suppose, so it came as no surprise to her that I was texting in all caps at the crack of dawn about fish babies. Now that I think of it, she didn’t even ask any further questions before heading over to meet me. What a remarkably tolerant human being.

If I could drive, I would. And technically I can drive! After all, I am a strong, independent adult with a driver’s license. But instead of that license being proof of my competence as a driver, all it proves is that it’s much too easy to get a license. I’ve never held any of the core competencies one would want of a driver—like the ability to focus—so as a courtesy to the world, I do not drive.

Getting my license wasn’t a complete waste though, because I, like so many before and after me, simply got a driver’s license as proof of age. Besides, I’ve always preferred being in the passenger seat of a car. I like the luxury of letting my mind wander, of being in my own pocket dimension of consciousness untethered from the world, and of being pleasantly brought back to earth at the driver’s melodic announcement of We’re hereeeeee! There’s comfort in knowing you can be on your way to somewhere good even if you’re not always in control of it all.

* * *

When we arrived at the pet store, my friend asked me why I wasn’t getting a dog or a cat. People always assume it’s one or the other when you declare your intention of acquiring a pet. It really throws off their worldview when your pet species goes beyond the fourth letter of the alphabet.

In fairness, I love both cats and dogs. But it was important for me to get a pet that didn’t have abandonment issues. I didn’t want a pet that would be sad whenever I left for work; I have enough guilt in my life as is. So instead, I focused my search on a pet companion that would love me—but at a comfortable distance. The kind of emotionally independent love that is there when you need it, but won’t swallow you whole.

Try not to psychoanalyze that.

After deciding on a species, I started to look for the fish that was the one. I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly, but somehow, I knew I would know it when I saw it. The power of choice went to my head almost immediately.

Upon initial review, all I found were normal-looking fish bathing peacefully. They were much too perfect for us to realistically get along. But just as I was about to give up, I saw it—the one. Tucked away in the back corner of the tank, there was this ostracized, peculiar-looking fish quivering quietly behind a thin strand of plastic kelp. It was as though he was the lone, unwitting survivor from a game of hide-and-seek that the other fish had long finished without him.

I felt a deep and immediate connection.

"Why this fish?" my friend asked, understandably concerned by my ever-growing list of questionable life decisions.

Sometimes you just know it when you feel it, I explained matter-of-factly with a smile, knowing that this was exactly the type of vague, incontestable response that settles any argument.

It’s easy to love things that are beautiful, but Bobo was far from beautiful. While the other fish in his tank had shimmering, buttercup-yellow scales that effortlessly glistened with every movement in the water, Bobo’s coat was more of a dull mustard color. Even as he anxiously darted from one corner of the tank to the other, his scales shimmered half-heartedly, as though they had long given up on the facade of beauty.

This simply made me adore him even more.

"Well you see, he’s ugly cute," I would later explain to people who never asked. It was a label that acknowledged his homely looks, but also insisted there was some redeeming

Reviews for Barely Functional Adult

[Danielle Whitney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Plot: A mixture of essay-type short stories complemented by the addition of comic style drawings that express the authors experience of life. With chapters about imposter syndrome, not knowing what you want out of life, and weird pets, there is something in here for everyone.

Genre: Comics, graphic novels, humour, essay style content.

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Thoughts While Reading:
Thoughts at 100%:
1. I really liked this. I found something to identify with in all of the stories, and that level of relatability is rare. There is definitely something for everyone in this book, and while I didn't laugh out loud at any point, I did giggle at times. I'm not sure what else to say... I really struggle to write a long review when I like something I've read. Conversely, if I don't like a book (or it annoys me), I could write pages about it.

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Conclusion and Recommendation:
I'm giving this collection 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It was a fast, relatable, and enjoyable read. I think the basis of my rating is rooted in how much I related to the experiences of the author.
I would recommend this book to anyone in their mid-20's to late-30's (and even higher? Who knows, I'm not that old yet ?). I think most people would find something that resonates with them in "Barely Functional Adult...", and if they don't? Congrats on being a fully functional adult I guess ?