British graphic novelist Zoe Thorogood’s acclaimed book It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth has done more than earn praise as one of the decade’s standout graphic novels. In 2025, it helped raise more than $40,000 for mental health services across the UK.
The semi autobiographical graphic novel explores Thorogood’s experiences with depression through shifting art styles, bold colors, and moments of surreal self reflection. Critics widely praised the book, with Forbes calling her “one to watch for the 2020s” and Broken Frontier describing the work as a comics masterpiece.
After the death of her younger brother James, who died by suicide in October 2024 at the age of 23, Thorogood pledged to donate all profits from the book to mental health charities. Those donations included support for Mindcharity, which provides housing assistance, crisis helplines, and drop in centers in England and Wales. According to The Guardian, publishers of the Italian, French, and Spanish editions also pledged to match the donations.
By the end of 2025, Thorogood had donated $40,119 to mental health charities. In a December update, she said she was proud of the contribution, while acknowledging it came from a place of deep grief. She added that her brother appears in the book and that his memory continues to live on through her work and her advocacy for better mental health support.
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