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A review by jayisreading
Unexpected Vanilla by Lee Hyemi
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
This was such a visceral collection of poems that was beautifully translated by Soje (I actually picked this collection up because I'm a fan of their translations). The poems felt ephemeral and were quite surreal in nature. In addition, with distinct descriptions of the queer woman's body as well as imagery from nature to support them, these poems were incredibly intimate and sensual—erotic, even.
As beautiful as these poems were, I found that a handful of them were a bit lackluster, with some being a little too abstract to fully grasp Lee's intentions. I also felt that the poems lacked cohesion, which might be why I felt that these poems didn't resonate as strongly as I had hoped.
Some favorites: "Personal Rain," "Half the Blood," "Summer, When I Dreamt of Vines," "Star, Sick," and "Crossing the Black Page of Sleep"
As beautiful as these poems were, I found that a handful of them were a bit lackluster, with some being a little too abstract to fully grasp Lee's intentions. I also felt that the poems lacked cohesion, which might be why I felt that these poems didn't resonate as strongly as I had hoped.
Some favorites: "Personal Rain," "Half the Blood," "Summer, When I Dreamt of Vines," "Star, Sick," and "Crossing the Black Page of Sleep"
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Blood