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A review by phoenixs
Our Bodies & Other Fine Machines by Natalie Wee
3.0
I love the themes and commentary of these poems more than I love the form and style of them. That’s ok. Nothing overly stayed with me language-wise, which sucks because I usually like to study the poems that leave memorable phrases or images with me.
Wee often felt like she was layering a lot of wordplay on thick only for the conclusions or subtext of the poem to be on-the-nose or tied up in a bow. I wish this wasn’t my impression of it, but many times I felt like prompting with “and then?” When I finished a poem.
The strongest poems in this collection are the ones that allow themselves to stay open-ended or that end with a thought that isn’t trying to nail down one specific meaning. Again, I think it’s just that I’m not the ideal reader in mind for this style.
I keep going back and forth on whether or not I’ll try Wee’s subsequent collection, Beast At Every Threshold, but I might just sample it first before committing. If it’s similar to this, I’m probably just incompatible with this poetry style. But I think if you like Tumblr era poetry with lush imagery and feminist commentary, you’ll really enjoy this one!
Wee often felt like she was layering a lot of wordplay on thick only for the conclusions or subtext of the poem to be on-the-nose or tied up in a bow. I wish this wasn’t my impression of it, but many times I felt like prompting with “and then?” When I finished a poem.
The strongest poems in this collection are the ones that allow themselves to stay open-ended or that end with a thought that isn’t trying to nail down one specific meaning. Again, I think it’s just that I’m not the ideal reader in mind for this style.
I keep going back and forth on whether or not I’ll try Wee’s subsequent collection, Beast At Every Threshold, but I might just sample it first before committing. If it’s similar to this, I’m probably just incompatible with this poetry style. But I think if you like Tumblr era poetry with lush imagery and feminist commentary, you’ll really enjoy this one!