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A review by thebookboy
Surge by Jay Bernard
4.0
A powerful and eye-opening collection of poetry that doesn't hold back the righteous anger and frustration surrounding two landmark instances of racial injustice and tragedy - the 1981 New Cross Fire that killed 13, and the Grenfell Tower tragedy that claimed the lives of 72 individuals in 2017.
Jay Bernard has obviously done a lot of research into these incidents, and the poems are an interesting blend of looking at these tragedies from both close and outside perspectives. As ever, with all poetry collections I thought there were some poems that were more powerful and affecting than others, but in general this is a very strong collection that uses few words to make a considerable impact.
My one, fairly minor criticism would be that I don't think many of the poems were particularly memorable and that a lot of them ultimately felt quite similar - obviously the themes explored are consistent, but I think a little more variety would've elevated this collection further.
3.5/4 stars
Jay Bernard has obviously done a lot of research into these incidents, and the poems are an interesting blend of looking at these tragedies from both close and outside perspectives. As ever, with all poetry collections I thought there were some poems that were more powerful and affecting than others, but in general this is a very strong collection that uses few words to make a considerable impact.
My one, fairly minor criticism would be that I don't think many of the poems were particularly memorable and that a lot of them ultimately felt quite similar - obviously the themes explored are consistent, but I think a little more variety would've elevated this collection further.
3.5/4 stars