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A review by jaykosumi
The Only Worlds We Know by Michael Lee
4.0
4.5
I’m really glad I picked this one up after seeing snippets of Lee’s poems on Instagram and being intrigued. He definitely has a way with words that’s both immersive and atmospheric and I highlighted several lines that had clever word play, a careful choice of metaphors that complimented the themes of the poems, or that just struck me right through the heart.
I love how cohesive this collection is. It sticks to the themes of grief, trauma, depression and alcoholism, instead of stretching itself too thin as some other poetry collections I’ve read. The focus on a singular narrative allowed the author to write in-depth about his experiences. I loved how certain poems required more careful attention and a re-read to be properly understood, while others were more straightforward, thus conveying the depressive tone. It’s hard for me to find myself impressed by a lot of modern poetry, but this one blew me away and you could tell Lee put a lot of effort and passion into this one.
The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because I felt the collection dragged at times, so it took me a while to read. Also—and this is very trivial, as it boils down to personal preference—I have discovered that the poetry I absolutely adore is the more abstract kind, that tells a broader story than just the writer’s personal experiences and struggles. Obviously, this isn’t a flaw of the book or author, but as all reviews are subjective, I couldn’t bring myself to give it a full rating, given it’s not *that* kind of poetry.
But with all being said, please pick up this book if you’re looking for poignant and beautiful poetry to read. If you find yourself connecting with the themes, it might even be a tearjerker for you.
I’m really glad I picked this one up after seeing snippets of Lee’s poems on Instagram and being intrigued. He definitely has a way with words that’s both immersive and atmospheric and I highlighted several lines that had clever word play, a careful choice of metaphors that complimented the themes of the poems, or that just struck me right through the heart.
I love how cohesive this collection is. It sticks to the themes of grief, trauma, depression and alcoholism, instead of stretching itself too thin as some other poetry collections I’ve read. The focus on a singular narrative allowed the author to write in-depth about his experiences. I loved how certain poems required more careful attention and a re-read to be properly understood, while others were more straightforward, thus conveying the depressive tone. It’s hard for me to find myself impressed by a lot of modern poetry, but this one blew me away and you could tell Lee put a lot of effort and passion into this one.
The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because I felt the collection dragged at times, so it took me a while to read. Also—and this is very trivial, as it boils down to personal preference—I have discovered that the poetry I absolutely adore is the more abstract kind, that tells a broader story than just the writer’s personal experiences and struggles. Obviously, this isn’t a flaw of the book or author, but as all reviews are subjective, I couldn’t bring myself to give it a full rating, given it’s not *that* kind of poetry.
But with all being said, please pick up this book if you’re looking for poignant and beautiful poetry to read. If you find yourself connecting with the themes, it might even be a tearjerker for you.