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A review by callum_mclaughlin
Let Them Eat Chaos by Kae Tempest
5.0
This full-length narrative poem weaves in and out of the homes of seven people who all live on the same street in London, as they lie awake at 4am. They are strangers to each other, but through a series of snapshots into their lives, Tempest captures the universal anxieties of modern life, despite their different circumstances.
It’s remarkable how much Tempest can convey with few words, giving us a clear sense of each person and the struggles of their daily lives, while commenting on the wider societal problems of wealth disparity, disenfranchisement, and an increased sense of disconnection from the world around us – a theme that resonates particularly strongly in the current climate.
It’s hard to describe why I loved this so much, and to pull random extracts from it would do no justice to its cumulative power. Suffice to say it is beautifully observed, articulating with gut-punch wisdom so much of where we’re going wrong; in how we treat ourselves, in how we treat each other, and in how we treat the planet. But for all its pathos, it is also an impassioned and hopeful call for kindness and connection.
It’s remarkable how much Tempest can convey with few words, giving us a clear sense of each person and the struggles of their daily lives, while commenting on the wider societal problems of wealth disparity, disenfranchisement, and an increased sense of disconnection from the world around us – a theme that resonates particularly strongly in the current climate.
It’s hard to describe why I loved this so much, and to pull random extracts from it would do no justice to its cumulative power. Suffice to say it is beautifully observed, articulating with gut-punch wisdom so much of where we’re going wrong; in how we treat ourselves, in how we treat each other, and in how we treat the planet. But for all its pathos, it is also an impassioned and hopeful call for kindness and connection.