This collection was a mixed bag for me. Some poems were excellent; for instance, Jones writes about grief with crystal clarity that instantly reveals his deep familiarity with the subject. There was also one poem about the ephemerality of a summer tomato that I keep thinking about. Other poems were less engaging and personal.

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discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

“If You Cry Hard Enough, Any Grief Can Be the End of the World.”

This was my introduction to Jones’ poetry and I am not in any way shape or form qualified to make interpretations or analyses, but I will say, with a laymen’s understanding of poetry, I found this truly moving. It made me want to read his memoir as well.

One part that I read over and over was:

“I’ve hurt many people but it’s the unintended wounds I claim now as children. They stand beside my bed in the dark each night, a row of injuries asking me to wake up because they can’t sleep.”

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emmettdakool's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

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alisonfaith426's review against another edition

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3.25

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relf's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

Dark and funny and vulnerable and honest. I don't know how Saeed Jones does it, but I found the deep grief and, yes, feeling of apocalypse in progress somehow comforting. I will come back to these poems.

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edilund's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective tense

4.5

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bessadams's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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