Sadness and Joy in the Life of Giraffes addresses the theme of absence and of the pain of growth in a unusual (adj. which is not vulgar, rare) way. It tells us the story of a girl (s.f. 1. a female child; 2. a very young single woman) who, in order to solve a problem, decides to look for the only person she believes that can help her: the prime minister. The economic crisis, a teddy bear with suicidal tendencies named Judy Garland, the Discovery Channel, a black panther and the Russian playwright or Bulgarian scientist Anton Tchekhov are all part of this heroic adventure (sf 1. extraordinary journey, 2. unexpected event that comes and deserves to be reported, 3. chance).