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aksel_dadswell's review
5.0
An absolutely mesmerising short work, one of those few pieces of fiction that truly transported me into its story and made me forget the world around me. Warra balances so many layers with such skill here, the nucleus of her story the narrator's life, encapsulated in a series of shifting fragments and memories that flow perfectly into each other, always converging back into the present. This is an astounding character piece that acknowledges the generations of women to come before, and examination of conception and birth and motherhood, and it's amazing to see how much Warra has managed to fit into the confines of such a short piece of work, all the grime and regret and breathless beauty of the protagonist's life, and her collision with the peripheral characters. On top of which is the artful blend of something that straddles cosmic horror and body horror, and manages to make both into something truly beautiful.
This was the first piece of fiction I'd read by Brooke Warra, and I'll be looking for more immediately.
Another awesome chapbook published by Dim Shores, with gorgeous cover and interior illustrations by Zoe Liegh.
This was the first piece of fiction I'd read by Brooke Warra, and I'll be looking for more immediately.
Another awesome chapbook published by Dim Shores, with gorgeous cover and interior illustrations by Zoe Liegh.
motherhorror's review
“If normal mothers would have been safe and comfortable, reliable, at least mine had been loud and vibrant and hard to ignore. And that was something.”
Review coming!
Review coming!
inkychaotics's review
5.0
Absolutely spectacular.
"The bodies of my lovers are like celestial terrain. . . If I were to collect their skin, I could make a patchwork galaxy, trace the space between their freckles and scars like constellations, and traverse the dark matter of their flesh."
Warra's writing is enchanting. I never wanted this glorious little chapbook to end, yet the story feels perfectly complete. I feel like this story is something I could continually come back to in different stages of my life, as my mind and body and outlook on things change, molded by every new encounter as it does for the protagonist within "Luminous Body." I could vividly picture every moment that was described. Both the pain and mysticism of being a woman is drawn out so cleverly through the structure and plot. I thank Brooke Warra for writing something so deeply moving.
"The bodies of my lovers are like celestial terrain. . . If I were to collect their skin, I could make a patchwork galaxy, trace the space between their freckles and scars like constellations, and traverse the dark matter of their flesh."
Warra's writing is enchanting. I never wanted this glorious little chapbook to end, yet the story feels perfectly complete. I feel like this story is something I could continually come back to in different stages of my life, as my mind and body and outlook on things change, molded by every new encounter as it does for the protagonist within "Luminous Body." I could vividly picture every moment that was described. Both the pain and mysticism of being a woman is drawn out so cleverly through the structure and plot. I thank Brooke Warra for writing something so deeply moving.
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