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shiloniz's review
4.0
"You want to investigate silence.
It's Tuesday, the sun is a newly
opened can of mandarin slices,
though it's never hunger that wakes you."
It's Tuesday, the sun is a newly
opened can of mandarin slices,
though it's never hunger that wakes you."
evelikesbooks's review
5.0
I went to the library in the mood to read some poetry, and recognized this poet's name -- I was friends with her younger brother for a few years growing up. I didn't know she was a published poet now. I figured I'd check it out to see if I recognized any of my childhood in the poetry, and I did. I'm not in a position to critique poetry but generally if it makes me see images in my mind, I like it.
cstefko's review
5.0
4.5 stars
Man, so many of these poems are shockingly good. Ackerson-Kiely has such a unique voice and I found myself both delighted and surprised by her poems in equal measure. Or as delighted as you can be by poems whose subject matter ranges from depressing to bleak. (: This collection is a masterclass in language. And ambitious! There's an extended prose poem that reads like a noir narrative and felt so unlike anything else I've read. She is such a clever writer and I'm in awe of her talent. And speaking of that poem, it's a good time to note that the reader is forced not to assume that the speaker of the poems is the poet herself, because she often writes from a male perspective, like in the aforementioned long poem. I was thinking just now about how she goes beyond merely using repetition to almost make it seem like she's creating a pattern... or like she's setting a trap, casting a spell, whatever metaphor you want to use. It's entrancing.
This is a cop-out, but I honestly don't want to say too much more because I think these poems just need to be read, and widely. Only held back from giving a full five stars because the collection loses steam a bit in the final section.
I will specifically recommend the poem "Laconia," which left me literally gasping. Wow.
And some nice lines from "Shine:"
"The stars do not eat my breakfast.
A man eats my breakfast. Like the stars
he cannot take care of me very well.
But oh does he burn."
Man, so many of these poems are shockingly good. Ackerson-Kiely has such a unique voice and I found myself both delighted and surprised by her poems in equal measure. Or as delighted as you can be by poems whose subject matter ranges from depressing to bleak. (: This collection is a masterclass in language. And ambitious! There's an extended prose poem that reads like a noir narrative and felt so unlike anything else I've read. She is such a clever writer and I'm in awe of her talent. And speaking of that poem, it's a good time to note that the reader is forced not to assume that the speaker of the poems is the poet herself, because she often writes from a male perspective, like in the aforementioned long poem. I was thinking just now about how she goes beyond merely using repetition to almost make it seem like she's creating a pattern... or like she's setting a trap, casting a spell, whatever metaphor you want to use. It's entrancing.
This is a cop-out, but I honestly don't want to say too much more because I think these poems just need to be read, and widely. Only held back from giving a full five stars because the collection loses steam a bit in the final section.
I will specifically recommend the poem "Laconia," which left me literally gasping. Wow.
And some nice lines from "Shine:"
"The stars do not eat my breakfast.
A man eats my breakfast. Like the stars
he cannot take care of me very well.
But oh does he burn."
losethegirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
I really appreciated the mix of poetry and prose poetry in this book, and I felt very seen as I was reading it. It felt like it was hitting the head on the nail, like it might've been written for me specifically, even though I knew it wasn't. The writing itself was good, but the style fluctuated from having some of my favourite tonal choices I've read recently, to a voice that just fell flat, with no middle ground. Nonetheless, I know I'll be picking this up again soon!
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