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A review by zj5
The Smallest of Bones by Holly Lyn Walrath
3.0
I’ll start by saying that while this isn’t my favourite style of poetry, I was surprised to find myself returning again and again to some of these miniscule poems.
The Smallest of Bones is filled with ideas on gender, sex, sexuality, and feminism. Each brought into brief existence through scant, unpunctuated lines. Most are affecting but others feel better suited for inspirational Facebook posts. They’re not bad but the brevity and structure can too easily distract from the intended meaning.
On the other hand, the consistency of theme is to be admired. Walrath begins each section to a rundown on a particular human bone and then expands on it with condensed emotion and minute anatomical imagery. We travel down from the cranium to the mandible and then the sternum all the way down and back around to the spine before stopping at the temporal bones at the ears. It’s as much a tour of heartbreak and existence as it is an anatomy textbook.
I don’t know that I would classify much of it as horror but there’s definitely a macabre feeling throughout the book. It’s a quick read but one that, when it connects, will have you flipping back to your favourites.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley
The Smallest of Bones is filled with ideas on gender, sex, sexuality, and feminism. Each brought into brief existence through scant, unpunctuated lines. Most are affecting but others feel better suited for inspirational Facebook posts. They’re not bad but the brevity and structure can too easily distract from the intended meaning.
On the other hand, the consistency of theme is to be admired. Walrath begins each section to a rundown on a particular human bone and then expands on it with condensed emotion and minute anatomical imagery. We travel down from the cranium to the mandible and then the sternum all the way down and back around to the spine before stopping at the temporal bones at the ears. It’s as much a tour of heartbreak and existence as it is an anatomy textbook.
I don’t know that I would classify much of it as horror but there’s definitely a macabre feeling throughout the book. It’s a quick read but one that, when it connects, will have you flipping back to your favourites.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley