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dhiyanah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
3.0
Picked this up for a reading challenge. I used to enjoy Laux's and similar styled poetry back when immersing in literature that named damage and harm was one of the things that helped me feel seen in an isolated and pained life. Catharsis via creative engagement is important, but the trajectory of growth means that's just the first step - and having crossed that threshold, I wanted to make sure I was also honoring what got me here. So that was another motivation for choosing this to read this year. I do appreciate poetry that plumbs the depths so the shadows can be seen. But this book was not up to my current taste. Aside from a few old faves that were still moving, I found it hard to feel held or seen by this collection, as my experience of it - with multi-cultural and decolonized contexts - had me grating against outdated references and abrupt tonal shifts.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
snowmaiden's review against another edition
5.0
Although this collection is almost 25 years old, it doesn't seem dated in the slightest. These are straightforward narrative poems, but all of them are so good. Maybe part of it is that Laux was almost exactly the same age when she wrote these poems as I am now, but they really spoke to me.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is poems of the self and what we do when we are alone with no one looking. The second is poems about parents and children. The third is poems about love and sex. (This was my favorite section, as should surprise no one.) But my favorite poem of all is "Fast Gas," which you can read here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58325/fast-gas.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is poems of the self and what we do when we are alone with no one looking. The second is poems about parents and children. The third is poems about love and sex. (This was my favorite section, as should surprise no one.) But my favorite poem of all is "Fast Gas," which you can read here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58325/fast-gas.
bufally47's review against another edition
4.0
I think I stumbled across this by googling “poets similar to Sharon Olds” and it did not disappoint. I slowly broke away from that connection the further I delved into the collection, though, and by the end their similarities seemed rather superficial – white ladies of a certain age who write lines of similar length. Yes, they both write about family and sex, but what poet doesn’t? Laux also has a touch of the celestial in her poems (and not in an empty, new-agey sort of way). A few sort of fizzled out at the end, a few even seemed selfish and pointless, but several sent shivers down my spine, and most had at least some little pearl to offer. I’ve missed reading poetry. Favorites: “2AM”, “The Aqueduct”, “This Close”, “After Twelve Days of Rain”
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