All My Friends Are Invisible, Jonathan Joly
All My Friends Are Invisible, Jonathan Joly
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All My Friends Are Invisible
the inspirational childhood memoir

Author: Jonathan Joly

Narrator: Jonathan Joly

Unabridged: 4 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Quercus

Published: 02/03/2022


Synopsis

*A mesmeric, harrowing and uplifting childhood memoir that will open up much-needed conversations about identity and mental health*

It was an ordinary day in 2016. In Gatwick Airport, Jonathan and his wife Anna were having breakfast with their two little children while waiting for their flight to be called. And then it happened, a familiar sensation that Jonathan hadn't had for decades: an out-of-body experience that transported him to another place, the safe place he used to escape to in his mind when he was a boy.

Because growing up in conservative 1980s Dublin, where there was little tolerance for children who were 'different', Jonathan Joly was, indeed, a different sort of child: creative, expressive, and - on the inside - a girl. The limitations of the people around him to understand his differences led to years of tyrannical bullying and abuse, forcing him to withdraw within himself to the point of clinical absence. His only chance for survival was the inner world he created for himself, rich with loving and supportive friends and playmates, that only he could see. Jonathan's invisible friends were his lifeline, and on that day at the airport, they came flooding back, and have remained with him to this day.

This extraordinary childhood memoir is not only an important, thought-provoking and exhilarating read, it gives hope and community for all those who have ever felt 'other', and proves how vital it is to provide children with the safe space to be themselves.

In All My Friends are Invisible, Jonathan Joly, known widely as one of social media's most successful content creators, shares the secret he's kept hidden these many years. He shows the beautiful world he retreated to time and time again when life was unbearable for his 'skin machine'. Most importantly, he introduces us to his invisible friends, and in so doing you may be transported back to the friends you had as a child that no one else could see, and who may have saved you, too.

"When you find yourself living in a world that doesn't understand you, and you lack any connection to anyone or any place, you are faced with few options. You can choose to leave this world and hope whatever lies beyond ends up being better, or you can create your own. It will require grit, hardship, pain and suffering, but the rewards will be great, and the journey will be greater, and the adventures will be endless. So, at a very young age and faced with these options, I chose the latter."

All My Friends are Invisible will be one of the most talked about books of 2022.

(P) 2022 Quercus Editions Limited

About Jonathan Joly

Jonathan Joly is widely known as one of social media's most successful content creators, with over seven million followers across social media. Born in Dublin, Jonathan is a gifted filmmaker and storyteller, and is dedicated to making the lives of others better, particularly those who feel misunderstood or alone in the world. Jonathan lives in the UK with his wife, Anna Saccone, and their four remarkable children (and six dogs). All My Friends Are Invisible is Jonathan's first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma on January 11, 2022

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in return of an honest review. I don’t really know where to begin with writing a review for this book. I have been in a reading slump for the last couple of months and have got maybe 2 or 3 chapters in and DNFed a lot of books, but......more

Goodreads review by Alexandra on December 21, 2021

A curious book which left me with a lot of questions about whether the author might have done better doing some work on himself off the page first. I'll be interested to see what the trans community think of it, and to hear if the ending is elaborated on at all. The edition I read had a highly drama......more

Goodreads review by Fally on January 07, 2022

I've been a fan of the sacconeholys for years since 2014. They were always a fun family to watch on YouTube. The last year though Jonathan has been talking about his true self so inwas curious about the book which is why I asked for an advanced copy. This was a confusing book. It reads more like fic......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on January 13, 2022

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was intrigued when I saw this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My understanding is that this is Joly’s first book, and for that, it’s not bad. If this was written as fiction based on his life, I think it w......more

Goodreads review by Jade on January 16, 2022

This is a very jumbled book with no structure at all. This book definitely reads more as fiction then non-fiction, especially the bits that appear to be written by one of his invisible friends?! It also ended really suddenly, I expected it to come back to present day and explain Jonathan as experien......more


Quotes

An extraordinary and thought-provoking memoir Belfast Telegraph

This will blow you away Stylist

An admirable triumph Irish Independent

A well-placed and well-structured narrative Irish Times

An intriguing story of a child's unique response to identity bewilderment, bullying and toxic households Strong Words

A starkly elegant account by a YouTube star of how an imaginary friend saved him from a hellish Dublin childhood Sunday Times

Simple and friendly with a definite lack of filters and a good dose of self-revelation Irish Examiner

Movingly describes how his friends, with the support of a sympathetic school, eventually helped him find a place in the real world Daily Mail