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greensub 's review for:
I Wrote This for You and Only You
by pleasefindthis, Iain S. Thomas, Jon Ellis
It's a shame this book is so bad, because it tried really hard to be good.
I just can't get behind so many one-sentence poems. A one-sentence poem should be powerful, poignant, and promising. A book full of empty one-sentence poems is weak, meaningless, and disappointing. It is also lazy.
Additionally, the poor grammar used throughout the book was extremely frustrating. I think the author intended for it to be stylistic, but it was distracting and overused. Too many sentences read like so: "To discover that the aliens, can look just like you." That comma did not make me read the sentence with rhythmic purpose, but made me stop and cross my eyes as my brain sizzled just a little bit.
Commas aside, the poems were self-important, as if stating facts could make the author a genius. "You can't bleed forever./ Sooner or later, you will either die or live." I understand. Now tell me something I've never heard before. Or if it's been said before (likely), then say it in a way I've never heard it. Say it with a cadence I've never felt, words I've never used, or imagery I've never seen.
There was, at least, scattered potential throughout the book. The Line Between Madness and Life, although poorly executed, teased me with the philosophy of whether or not it's important that love is a chemical. If done well, I think this poem could capture me, hold me hostage, and release me to the world again with a new appreciation for life. But it didn't, and that's a serious shame.
In a 202-paged book, there was only one poem I truly enjoyed. I will leave it for you here, so you don't have to read the rest of the book to find it.
The Soft Crackle
Yet love's like a needle on a record, taking parts of you away as it draws sharply and constantly across the heart, in slow descending circles, just to hear a song hidden in the scratches one more time.
I just can't get behind so many one-sentence poems. A one-sentence poem should be powerful, poignant, and promising. A book full of empty one-sentence poems is weak, meaningless, and disappointing. It is also lazy.
Additionally, the poor grammar used throughout the book was extremely frustrating. I think the author intended for it to be stylistic, but it was distracting and overused. Too many sentences read like so: "To discover that the aliens, can look just like you." That comma did not make me read the sentence with rhythmic purpose, but made me stop and cross my eyes as my brain sizzled just a little bit.
Commas aside, the poems were self-important, as if stating facts could make the author a genius. "You can't bleed forever./ Sooner or later, you will either die or live." I understand. Now tell me something I've never heard before. Or if it's been said before (likely), then say it in a way I've never heard it. Say it with a cadence I've never felt, words I've never used, or imagery I've never seen.
There was, at least, scattered potential throughout the book. The Line Between Madness and Life, although poorly executed, teased me with the philosophy of whether or not it's important that love is a chemical. If done well, I think this poem could capture me, hold me hostage, and release me to the world again with a new appreciation for life. But it didn't, and that's a serious shame.
In a 202-paged book, there was only one poem I truly enjoyed. I will leave it for you here, so you don't have to read the rest of the book to find it.
The Soft Crackle
Yet love's like a needle on a record, taking parts of you away as it draws sharply and constantly across the heart, in slow descending circles, just to hear a song hidden in the scratches one more time.