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A review by kylieayn
goddess by Cheryl Tan
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
goddess is short and sweet. Only ten poems long, the reverential and reflective tones throughout each piece create a whole that is full of wonder, sorrow, and deep yearning.
Neither yearning™ nor religious background (and/or trauma) are lacking in LGBTQ+ literature, but I think that the specific images Tan evokes throughout the book are what make her poems really feel like her story. This is most apparent to me in the longer poems where scenic depictions of the speaker’s interactions with their love interest(s) are interspersed and woven with the rolling poetics. “sans merci” is the most immersive at this, feeling more intimate, as well as more packed, which is helpful in such a short chapbook.
Neither yearning™ nor religious background (and/or trauma) are lacking in LGBTQ+ literature, but I think that the specific images Tan evokes throughout the book are what make her poems really feel like her story. This is most apparent to me in the longer poems where scenic depictions of the speaker’s interactions with their love interest(s) are interspersed and woven with the rolling poetics. “sans merci” is the most immersive at this, feeling more intimate, as well as more packed, which is helpful in such a short chapbook.
The frequently quick-paced alliterations and assonances, sometimes abruptly slowed by line breaks or white space, truly feels like a marriage of the stream-of-consciousness style teenage crush journal entries and the restrained chanting of prayer or hymns. It very much heightens the devotional emotions throughout the chapbook, and makes me want to hear these poems out loud.
*Review of complimentary ARC from the publisher, Querencia Press.
*Review of complimentary ARC from the publisher, Querencia Press.