Michael DeForge — author of Heaven No Hell (2021) and Birds of Maine (2022) — has earned praise from the graphic novel scene and major newspapers alike for his unique blending of the poignant and the absurd.
This new book, Holy Lacrimony, is a real trip — into space and into the soul.
Jackie is abducted by aliens who call themselves “scholars in the field of human sadness.” They’ve determined that he is the saddest person on Earth. And they want to learn how to mimic him so they can express their own bottled-up sadness.
But once the aliens learn how to do this, they beam Jackie back down to Earth. He may not have understood life aboard the UFO, but he sure misses it when it’s gone. The ending was just too abrupt.
He starts a support group for other alien abductees. They even dress like the aliens. But it’s no substitute. Even among the other abductees, Jackie is still alone.
He doubts if anyone even believes that he is the saddest person on Earth.
Holy Lacrimony is some of DeForge’s best work, but it has received less media attention than his previous books. Maybe it’s too raunchy, too sad, too weird. But that’s on par for DeForge. Maybe he has been too outspoken about Palestine. Who knows.
But there is a real exploration of what depression feels like, here. The rational side of you knows that you aren’t alone, but no one else’s advice ever seems to work. You even wonder if you were ever really happy.
Anyone sleeping on this book is making a mistake.
Holy Lacrimony is published by Quill & Quire and is out now.
This article appeared in the 2025 April/May issue.
