A review by exorcismofemilyreed
Breathe. Breathe. by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
4.0
"There's solitude / but no peace."
I haven't finished a poetry collection in quite a while, and Breathe Breathe was perfect for getting myself reacquainted. Erin's writing is easy to read, which was important for me. The hardest part of reading poetry for me is not understanding what's going on, but Erin expresses herself well & is upfront about what she's trying to say.
This is a collection of both poetry & short stories, and there are three separate portions of the book - poems about fear, poems about pain, and short stories. The first section (Breathe Through Fear) was my favorite. These poems dealt with spookier topics, and my top favorites were The Fisherman, Night Stalked, The Heirloom, The Lighthouse Keeper's Tale, and Ningyo's Misfortune.
The second section (Breathe Through Pain). These poems were a lot more emotional than the first set, which is to be expected since it's about pain. I really love Erin's honesty & willingness to share her heart on these pages. There's some grief and darkness in these poems, and I admire the boldness of them. My favorites were Nature's Salve, What Lies Beneath, Offerings to Nang Tani, Wraith of the Lonely, and The Way You Love Me.
The final section has the short stories. My favorites were Lunch Served at Noon and Dandelion Yellow, but they were all fun to read. I enjoyed being able to see Erin's versatility as both a poetry and fiction writer.
I'm going to give some trigger warnings in case you decide to pick this one up - there's some rape, abuse, and mention of sexual abuse of a child. Although the cover of this book is bright and inviting, it deals with some dark & heavy topics inside, so just be aware.
I really liked the feminist aspect of this collection - a lot of the women seem broken, but still stand strong. This is the third collection I've read recently with this as a running theme, and it makes me very happy. I'm excited to see what else Erin writes!
I haven't finished a poetry collection in quite a while, and Breathe Breathe was perfect for getting myself reacquainted. Erin's writing is easy to read, which was important for me. The hardest part of reading poetry for me is not understanding what's going on, but Erin expresses herself well & is upfront about what she's trying to say.
This is a collection of both poetry & short stories, and there are three separate portions of the book - poems about fear, poems about pain, and short stories. The first section (Breathe Through Fear) was my favorite. These poems dealt with spookier topics, and my top favorites were The Fisherman, Night Stalked, The Heirloom, The Lighthouse Keeper's Tale, and Ningyo's Misfortune.
The second section (Breathe Through Pain). These poems were a lot more emotional than the first set, which is to be expected since it's about pain. I really love Erin's honesty & willingness to share her heart on these pages. There's some grief and darkness in these poems, and I admire the boldness of them. My favorites were Nature's Salve, What Lies Beneath, Offerings to Nang Tani, Wraith of the Lonely, and The Way You Love Me.
The final section has the short stories. My favorites were Lunch Served at Noon and Dandelion Yellow, but they were all fun to read. I enjoyed being able to see Erin's versatility as both a poetry and fiction writer.
I'm going to give some trigger warnings in case you decide to pick this one up - there's some rape, abuse, and mention of sexual abuse of a child. Although the cover of this book is bright and inviting, it deals with some dark & heavy topics inside, so just be aware.
I really liked the feminist aspect of this collection - a lot of the women seem broken, but still stand strong. This is the third collection I've read recently with this as a running theme, and it makes me very happy. I'm excited to see what else Erin writes!