Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by alphareads
RECURRENT by Darla Mottram
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
Recurrent, by Darla Mottram, is an autobiographical poetry collection about the author’s childhood and life. It captures the “difficult” childhood she had—her mother’s constant abuse of drugs, her father’s negligence (even locking her up once), abuse from her father’s friend, going in and out of foster homes, her mother’s demise, among others.
From her accounts, readers get to see how she navigates all these difficult moments and how those experiences shaped her. And all that is delivered through carefully layered verses.
The book starts with a “timeline,” which provides a solid context of the writer’s life despite being compressed. This prepares the reader for what to expect.
With each poem, Mottram paints a vivid picture with words, capturing the details of her childhood—how it feels to live with people who are not your biological parents, to be in foster homes, to be abused, and to hear about your parent’s overdose.
I enjoyed the use of diverse poetic forms and styles. They felt deliberate, and I am a sucker for intentional poetry.
One theme worth noting is the duality expressed in the poems. Mottram constantly used diction like “halve,” "halved,” “two selves,” "dividing,” and others. I feel they tie everything together given the context and the kind of life she lived, constantly wanting to be of a different life, or sometimes being different selves of herself.
Also, the addition of old pictures, handwritten letters, pages of court orders, adoption papers, etc. adds a layer of realism to the narrative in the collection.
My only reservation, though, is that it seems some of the forms and styles used in some of the poems appeared forced. They seemed like paragraphs forced into stanzas. I don't know if that was the point or if it was deliberate, but it was glaring to me.
I recommend this collection. However, be aware of some of its triggering themes before you pick it up.
Some of my favourite poems were;
1. Split
2. Lungfish
3. Song
4. Certificate of Irrevocability (I think this poem is a creatively beautiful poem).
5. Birth
6. Matryoshka
7. The goose
8. A picture goes in search of its frame
9. Praxis
10. Letting in the wolves
From her accounts, readers get to see how she navigates all these difficult moments and how those experiences shaped her. And all that is delivered through carefully layered verses.
The book starts with a “timeline,” which provides a solid context of the writer’s life despite being compressed. This prepares the reader for what to expect.
With each poem, Mottram paints a vivid picture with words, capturing the details of her childhood—how it feels to live with people who are not your biological parents, to be in foster homes, to be abused, and to hear about your parent’s overdose.
I enjoyed the use of diverse poetic forms and styles. They felt deliberate, and I am a sucker for intentional poetry.
One theme worth noting is the duality expressed in the poems. Mottram constantly used diction like “halve,” "halved,” “two selves,” "dividing,” and others. I feel they tie everything together given the context and the kind of life she lived, constantly wanting to be of a different life, or sometimes being different selves of herself.
Also, the addition of old pictures, handwritten letters, pages of court orders, adoption papers, etc. adds a layer of realism to the narrative in the collection.
My only reservation, though, is that it seems some of the forms and styles used in some of the poems appeared forced. They seemed like paragraphs forced into stanzas. I don't know if that was the point or if it was deliberate, but it was glaring to me.
I recommend this collection. However, be aware of some of its triggering themes before you pick it up.
Some of my favourite poems were;
1. Split
2. Lungfish
3. Song
4. Certificate of Irrevocability (I think this poem is a creatively beautiful poem).
5. Birth
6. Matryoshka
7. The goose
8. A picture goes in search of its frame
9. Praxis
10. Letting in the wolves
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt