deadstars's review
5.0
overall, from the construction of every poem down to its theme, this book gracefully set the tone of grief and betrayal. it's not explicit; it's not like a full-blown poetry book that simply narrates heartbreak. every line has some semblance of longing, of affection. it's so vulnerable in a subtlest way possible, as though the narrator is so far out in the reality, that the poems are twinned with such detachment.
when i was reading the second half of the book, i was at first confused as to why the poems are written on the footnotes, until i realized the writer is making these experiences her point of reference. the first two parts tells us that there is an affair going on, the second is accepting the fact that the relationship is bound to meet its due, the last is living in an echo—reeling from the separation, living out the process of starting again—although that is also to say that there's also the hesitancy present in all those parts—a stubbornness to hold onto the relationship, making excuses to accept the situation, as if cheating can be saved by submitting to the fact that at least, he comes home to you. at least you know.
like i said, the mood of this book has been set from the beginning like you are already grieving. like you are just walking in a memory lane, remembering what have transpired.
at least that's how interpret this.
when i was reading the second half of the book, i was at first confused as to why the poems are written on the footnotes, until i realized the writer is making these experiences her point of reference. the first two parts tells us that there is an affair going on, the second is accepting the fact that the relationship is bound to meet its due, the last is living in an echo—reeling from the separation, living out the process of starting again—although that is also to say that there's also the hesitancy present in all those parts—a stubbornness to hold onto the relationship, making excuses to accept the situation, as if cheating can be saved by submitting to the fact that at least, he comes home to you. at least you know.
like i said, the mood of this book has been set from the beginning like you are already grieving. like you are just walking in a memory lane, remembering what have transpired.
at least that's how interpret this.
johnreadsthings's review
5.0
Cruz's gorgeous words and lyricism, and her singular way of writing her poetry were the two remarkable qualities of this book. But it's the theme and story of 'elsewhere held and lingered' that made me gasp, squirm on my seat, and utterly scandalized. It also made this unforgettable. How could she write so beautifully about something bordering on immoral?
fojee's review
5.0
Gorgeous collection with interestingly structured poems using footnotes and marginalia, multiple choice tests, and even the index of last lines.
The forms reminded me of Jose Garcia Villa but I much prefer the way Cruz plays with the absences in the text. I liked the complexity of the relationships depicted. The poems feel like intimate glimpses into these people’s lives.
I bookmarked a number of them but my favourite is “Where were you all this time?”
The forms reminded me of Jose Garcia Villa but I much prefer the way Cruz plays with the absences in the text. I liked the complexity of the relationships depicted. The poems feel like intimate glimpses into these people’s lives.
I bookmarked a number of them but my favourite is “Where were you all this time?”
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