mmiski's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Body horror, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Cancer, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Self harm, and Sexual violence
tailwhip's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Suicide, Sexual content, Hate crime, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Self harm, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality
norrell's review against another edition
2.25
a. hands
b. glass
c. death and blood
d. knives and guns
e. stars
+the language of passion, mourning and violence
etc.
It’s also really gay.
All of this half-joking sentiment aside - the language is accessible and sometimes surprisingly rich, the thoughts not so much. Funnily enough, roughly half of the lines perplexed me while the other half seemed so… uninspired, bland - cliché if you will. Although I must admit a few stuck around (the liked quotes and a few other lines).
There is a grander emotional narrative being spun but all in all the poems moreso overlap and mingle, with leitmotifs galore, rather than form a story.
Much of the deeper meaning escapes me as I haven’t been able to scratch under the surface yet. This is possibly due to my dislike of Siken’s way of writing poetry, the sheer (literal and thematic) repetition of it bludgeoned any patience and interest left in me (as it rarely worked, in my opinion). I don’t know.
But there’s something missing, unfulfilling here. The collection felt like flashing images.
To conclude, Richard Siken’s poetry just doesn't speak to me and I've made my peace with that fact.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
_mineru's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
mtw's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
books_onthe_ground's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
calcifowl's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Death, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
go2hellstephanie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Siken's poetry is full of both panic and love; "Crush" encapsulates both of these feelings perfectly. I could feel the heartbreak in his words as he tries to love and live as a gay man. It's beautifully visceral. Even the format of his poems are staggering.
"Crush" is what you should read if you have not felt how powerful poetry can be. An absolutely stunning and beautiful collection. I will never be the same.
Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
pang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence