foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
A mother is vast as a rainforest and vulnerable as a single wren. This narrative collection tells the story of a mother who lives in a psychiatric ward, and has been through terrible pain and trauma. It also describes the trauma of the rainforest: species on the brink of extinction, the impact of deforestation, and the unspeakable mourning of the planet. Petit’s imagery is savage and lush, full of depictions of the fragile body and mind and the wildness of the jungle. The collection is urgent, bold and frightening. It’s a really impressive piece of work, that I would recommend, though I feel this collection could be tighter, and at times some themes became repetitive.
One of my favourite poems in the collection is Snow Leopard Woman, describing the beautiful, elusive snow leopard, and the intelligence and intricacy of the mother figure’s mind, even though she is not lucid. The poem ends
Where she hid was always minus thirty
but exposed to pure sun. She knew
traps were set below the snowline
so she climbed higher, up the icefield
towards the summit,
until there was no more up.
One of my favourite poems in the collection is Snow Leopard Woman, describing the beautiful, elusive snow leopard, and the intelligence and intricacy of the mother figure’s mind, even though she is not lucid. The poem ends
Where she hid was always minus thirty
but exposed to pure sun. She knew
traps were set below the snowline
so she climbed higher, up the icefield
towards the summit,
until there was no more up.
will_meringue's review against another edition
After my mum was re-hospitalised it was just too much for me
ms_sarah621's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hartereads's review against another edition
4.0
Very raw poems about how it felt to grow up with a mentally-ill mother. The author uses a metaphorical jungle to give voice to the indescribable and lets you see the world through her eyes.
The subject matter makes this a hard read - but worth it.
The subject matter makes this a hard read - but worth it.
vg2's review
3.0
I greatly admire the imagery used in this collection - the life of the rainforest was an inspired choice to represent aspects of Pascale Petit’s life and family. At times, lost in the language, I had to remind myself of the horrific abuse and illness that each poem portrayed. Whilst not every poem worked as well for me, this is the sort of collection where more and more is revealed during subsequent re-reads.
berryzkobold's review
5.0
This was devastating.
I feel moved, like actually moved, like something moved inside me while I was reading it. Her description of the physicality of grief put into words something that I've never been able to:
"Grief squatting in your heart
like a strangler fig high in a branch-fork
that sends roots
down your chest and weaves a cage
around each hope -
your chest that, even as it's learning to
breathe, feels vines tighten."
I've never had poetry make me feel like this, or this much. This book was really stunningly beautiful and really painful. I am feeling so many feelings that I don't know what to do with myself. I'm in that state after you read a really amazing book where you need to say things but have nothing of much value to say, you're just spewing feelings all over the place incoherently. So enjoy my feeling-spewing, I guess.
You should read it, even though (especially because) it will hurt.
I feel moved, like actually moved, like something moved inside me while I was reading it. Her description of the physicality of grief put into words something that I've never been able to:
"Grief squatting in your heart
like a strangler fig high in a branch-fork
that sends roots
down your chest and weaves a cage
around each hope -
your chest that, even as it's learning to
breathe, feels vines tighten."
I've never had poetry make me feel like this, or this much. This book was really stunningly beautiful and really painful. I am feeling so many feelings that I don't know what to do with myself. I'm in that state after you read a really amazing book where you need to say things but have nothing of much value to say, you're just spewing feelings all over the place incoherently. So enjoy my feeling-spewing, I guess.
You should read it, even though (especially because) it will hurt.
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