A review by arnzen
The Devil's Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes by Sara Tantlinger
5.0
I read an advanced copy of this excellent collection and provided a recommendation for the cover -- and now that it's out, I'm rereading it and in awe of how good this book is all over again.
The Devil's Dreamland is a deeply-researched and daring crime documentary, told through verse, that persistently invites the reader to contemplate the unimaginable through a historical autopsy of Chicago's historically heinous murderer, HH Holmes. More deviant and inexplicable than Jack the Ripper, Holmes infamously transformed a house near the 1893 World's Fair exhibition into a "murder castle" -- a chamber for capturing and creatively killing his many victims. He was also a curious con man, slipping savagely between the cracks of his culture. Tantlinger's daring imagination and evocative language gives voice to his many poor victims, his various locations, his romantic partners, his historical period, and, most terrifyingly, the psychopath himself throughout his life, all the way up to his final bow.
Tantlinger uses history as a grotesque operating theater for her imagination, cutting into the enigma that was Holmes from an array of angles, unfolding the psychopath with an unflinching sense of morbid curiosity. It lends depth to the stories we've heard, while at the same time showing that there's so much more to the story than we can ever really know. Plus it's just creepy as hell.
Definitely a must-read work of contemporary poetry, sure to be a hit with true crime and horror fans alike.
The Devil's Dreamland is a deeply-researched and daring crime documentary, told through verse, that persistently invites the reader to contemplate the unimaginable through a historical autopsy of Chicago's historically heinous murderer, HH Holmes. More deviant and inexplicable than Jack the Ripper, Holmes infamously transformed a house near the 1893 World's Fair exhibition into a "murder castle" -- a chamber for capturing and creatively killing his many victims. He was also a curious con man, slipping savagely between the cracks of his culture. Tantlinger's daring imagination and evocative language gives voice to his many poor victims, his various locations, his romantic partners, his historical period, and, most terrifyingly, the psychopath himself throughout his life, all the way up to his final bow.
Tantlinger uses history as a grotesque operating theater for her imagination, cutting into the enigma that was Holmes from an array of angles, unfolding the psychopath with an unflinching sense of morbid curiosity. It lends depth to the stories we've heard, while at the same time showing that there's so much more to the story than we can ever really know. Plus it's just creepy as hell.
Definitely a must-read work of contemporary poetry, sure to be a hit with true crime and horror fans alike.