That Was Awkward: The Art and Etiquette of the Awkward Hug

by Emily Flake

From New Yorker humorist Emily Flake, a hilarious, oddly enlightening book of illustrations and observations that embrace the inescapable awkwardness of two human beings attempting to make physical contact with one another

We've all been there.

You encounter your former colleague--the one whom you always suspected had eaten your yogurt that one time. Your ex-boyfriend's sister. The elementary school classmate whose name you don't quite remember. That aunt you're not sure your mom is cool with.

Do you shake hands? Do you hug? Do you--horrors--kiss on the cheek? Or--double horrors--kiss on both cheeks? And then it happens. The awkward hug. That cultural blight we've all experienced.

Emily Flake--keen observer of human behavior and life's less-than-triumphant moments--codifies the most common awkward hugs that have plagued us all (sadly, multiple times). Filled with laugh-out-loud anecdotes and illustrations, astute observations, and wise advice, That Was Awkward is a heartwarming reminder that we're all in this together, grasping hastily at each other in an attempt to say: let's embrace to remind ourselves of our essential and connecting humanity, but also, please don't touch me for more than three seconds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Audiobook, Essays, Comics

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2019

About the author

Emily Flake was born in a town that featured a dancing bear fountain, a mural of ice cream eating elves, and an unnameable sense of dread. She got out of there and became an illustrator, cartoonist, and a writer. Her cartoons and illustrations have appeared in publications all over the world.

Above all, she means well.

Reviews

[Caitlin Kunkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well-written and charmingly illustrated, you actually learn a lot about the human condition in between bursts of laughter! Through awkwardness, we are all united. The illustrations made the descriptions even funnier and more cringeworthy.

[Misti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this to be funnier than it was.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun read that made me smile and love the descriptions of the different social occasions.
There're lovely illustrations and I appreciated the humour and the style of writing.
Unfortunately the ARC was so badly formatted that I found hard to read but I loved it nonetheless.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book~! The author -- who also supplies the whimsical drawings accompanying the text -- describes a staggeringly wide variety of hugs that can be exchanged between humans. . The book is divided into various sections: relationships (for example, what might be the differences among a hug given to a recent ex from a long-term relationship, a recent ex from a short-term relationship, and one between a pair divorced a decade previously?), family, work, and all the rest of life. Throughout, Emily Flake's wit shines forth. "I look forward to a future," she writes, " in which men can hug freely, with real warmth, and without resorting to the pseudo-violent hug-hit with which they may protect their fragile masculinity. Assuming, of course, they have time to hug once they've defeated all the sentient robots that are almost certainly coming to murder us all. Anyhoo, get over it, fellas. It's only a hug." The book concludes with an appendix, listing hug-free zones: the sauna, the locker room, the crowded elevator, and "anywhere that involves both long lines and an acronym." The reader looking for a lighthearted view of human embraces will not go far wrong at seeing out -- and savoring -- this tidy little volume.

[Vel Veeter]

This is a small little catalog — a kind of bathroom book, if they still make those or a little stocking stuffer of a book by a New Yorker cartoonist. The book details all the different types of weird hugs, their uses, their abuses, their contexts, and their unavoidable nature. I hate hugging so it’s nice to see the different kinds. I like hugging my dog, even though she hates it, and I like the kind of backcracking cathartic hugs with my wife, but pretty much don’t want to hug anyone else (unless I have kids) and I hate that people feel fine foisting (if not forcing hugs) on you.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first handful of pages I laughed so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes! Reading the first part of this book was like going to a good movie where you don't stop laughing. However, towards the middle of the book, I didn't feel it was that funny. Maybe my sense of humor went AWOL. The second half of the book felt like it was forced by the author to create some funnies "into a book." If you need a quick read and laugh during our current world issues, this will work for a bit.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forced my son to sit while I read some of these hugs out loud. While I giggled and snorted he sprained his eyeballs rolling them back in his head. This is such mom humor, he moaned. Maybe it is. But I like it. And you make me watch skateboard fails on YouTube. So listen to me read.

[Amber Keener · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off strong but by the end I felt it was just being annoying. I will say a few of the descriptions were very funny and worth sharing with other awkward book nerds like myself. A fun little read still.

[Andrea Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, quick read - perfect for reading around all the holiday gatherings this time of year!

[Diane Madlon-Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Funny premise. Laughed out loud a few times.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was mildly amusing if nothing else, but I couldn't relate to most of these scenarios.

[Christine Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great palate cleanser after reading something particularly arduous.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her wit, she’s very funny!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2019 staff pick recommended by Andrea. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected and really nothing more than a waste of time.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Many of these had my partner and me laughing out loud.

[Candid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I’m sure the book would be funny for some, if never quite hit for me. Nothing wrong with it. Just not my thing.

[Sarah Cupp]

This book was written for me: “Maybe "Can I hug you?" should be the new “Can I pet your dog?" saves everyone from getting bitten and/or sued.”

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was… fine.

I wanted the book to be more and I think there was space for it to be more, but in a lot of ways, it fell flat for me.

The concept of hugs—how necessary they are, yet how awkward they can be—really intrigued me. That said, the tone of much of this book, particularly in the brief excerpts accompanying each kind of awkward hug, seemed so overly jovial that it was bothersome, like “Now Daddy is just that dork who has a bunch of records (that NOBODY CARES ABOUT, DAD)”

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want a good laugh and an easy read? This book is it. A funny description of all the different types of hugs we're bound to give each other. :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

actually 3.5 ⭐️ Each hug has an explanation and an illustration. Flake is as funny a writer as she is a cartoonist.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

No legit LOLs.