Customer Reviews
This is a fantastic book of poetry. Readable, accessible, honest, deeply moving. I have been a fan of Siken’s work and enjoyed his previous work in Crush, and War of the Foxes. This book is different partly because its prose poetry and partly because its memoir and personal accounts about suffering a stroke and family stories, which are not only interesting, but horrific, and recounted in a poetic, condensed and with an original vision and childlike straightforwardness. His best book to date. I have recommended to friends. Don’t miss his interview on Rattlecast!
Beautiful poems.
There is no one like him.
These prose poems serve as a key opening to the maze of recovery from a serious stroke. Language is revealed as a multi-layered compass--go one way, you reach one destination, interpret an event another way, you reach another destination. I was fascinated by the poems' dexterity and multi-functionality.
I'm a massive fanboy of Richard Siken, and will purchase perhaps any work that comes from him. From browsing his tumblr tag to stalking his twitter, he's my favorite modern poet since the moment I picked up a copy of Crush. So it was a no brainer that I really wanted this book and purchased it the second I heard that it existed, and it arrived super quickly, like next day, and everything inside of it is masterfully written and amazing but, unfortunately, the cover and back of the book arrived damaged. Whatever matte finish they used on the book was rubbed off in splotches, ruining the beauty of the book from the outside.I'd give this a 5 star, but it's a bummer how the handling was done on the book when it was shipped out. The book was not given the love and respect that it deserves, and it makes me sad to own the only copy of a Richard Siken book that is damaged in a way that isn't me underlining my favorite qoutes or dog earing a favorite section, making it completely out of my control.Not a refundable purchase, definitely, because I'll love it all the same, but just a bummer!
