enchantressreads's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I was first introduced to Adrian Ernesto Cepeda with his cento poem book La Belle Ajar. A massive Sylvia Plath fan, I loved the way he took her words and moved it into a lyrical form. In We Are the Ones Possessed, Cepeda not only brings back Sylvia, but a few more authors I quite enjoy.
Along with the cento poems, Cepeda also gives us poetry that involves two things frequently paired together: sex and death. As he says in the afterword, this was his way of dealing with his mother’s death. By further understanding the beauty of death, he allowed himself to heal, and I feel privileged to have been privy to his healing.
Cepeda even brings in one of my favorite photos—the haunting image of Evelyn McHale’s suicide.
We need not be scared of death, for death is beauty.
Thank you Adrian for allowing me to read an advanced review copy of your collection! We Are the Ones Possessed releases from Clash Books on March 22nd.
Along with the cento poems, Cepeda also gives us poetry that involves two things frequently paired together: sex and death. As he says in the afterword, this was his way of dealing with his mother’s death. By further understanding the beauty of death, he allowed himself to heal, and I feel privileged to have been privy to his healing.
Cepeda even brings in one of my favorite photos—the haunting image of Evelyn McHale’s suicide.
We need not be scared of death, for death is beauty.
Thank you Adrian for allowing me to read an advanced review copy of your collection! We Are the Ones Possessed releases from Clash Books on March 22nd.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
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