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jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
1st poetry read of National Poetry Month!
small thoughtful collection of poems about immigration, transition, and emotional turmoil.
small thoughtful collection of poems about immigration, transition, and emotional turmoil.
maiswafel's review against another edition
3.0
A captivating poem book that I see myself occasionally revisiting later. Some poems felt a little weaker or less to my taste but it's very much worth the read!
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
There were a lot of ephemerally beautiful moments in these poems, especially how Yanyi crafted multiple meanings out of the central theme of this collection: transition. It’s the transitioning of the body, of place, of time. Transition is never easy or smooth, and Yanyi draws attention to the violence—however subtle—while in transition. As a result, grief is tinged throughout this collection, as Yanyi grapples with the disconnect he feels from his body, “loved” ones (I write “loved” as opposed to loved, knowing that it’s complicated), and more.
I did feel that a number of poems were a bit too sparse for my taste, and I found myself wanting a little more than what was given. Of course, like all collections, there will be poems that work better than others, but I felt it was rather unbalanced in this collection, with the fifth part being significantly stronger than the other four parts combined. However, this is really a matter of personal taste and preference.
Some favorites: “Taking Care,” “Leaving the House,” “Eurydice at the Mouth,” “Home for the Holidays” (in Part IV), “Ambulance! Ambulance!,” “Lengthening, Rites,” “The End of Another Year,” and “Aubade”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Grief
Minor: Death
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
While this collection of poems didn't move me as much as I had expected them to, I still enjoyed my read-through of Yanyi's beautiful words. Their reflections on the trans experience tied together with issues of Chinese immigrant parents mirrored so much of my own experiences with my identity and I especially loved the way they wrote about their body dysmorphia in waves of undulating emotions. At times a few of the poems' meanings were lost on me, the brunt of the reason being the author's overly flowery usage of superfluous language, but all in all these poems were still heart achingly tender and fraught with emotion and for that, I chock up my criticism and dislike as purely personal preference; I think many people would absolutely love this collection, but it simply wasn't 100% my taste.
Favorite poems:
Favorite poems:
- The Friend
- Dream in Which I Try to Disappear in Front of My Aunt, or, Interrogation
- Spring of Cups
- Affirmation
- Ambulance! Ambulance!
- Lengthening, Rites
- Aubade