Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by hedgehogbooks
DADDY by Jake Byrne
dark
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Wow, this is an excellent collection of poetry!
DADDY by Jake Byrne explores parental/intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and kink. I really like the dichotomy in interchanging the word DADDY to mean “father” in some contexts, but “dom” (as in BDSM) in others. The clever wordplay throughout the collection kept me on my toes.
As someone with bipolar disorder II (who has experienced psychosis and mania), I found the poems about Byrne’s own experiences with mania enlightening and relatable. There are many poetry collections out there now about mental illness that brush on acute depression and the struggle to leave the house/get out of bed/etc, but “uglier” symptoms of mental health diagnoses are seldom discussed. It is very refreshing to see representation of more severe mental illness in DADDY. The importance of honest representation is something I, along with other readers of marginalized identities, know firsthand. It’s one reason why books can be so powerful.
Overall, DADDY kept me engaged throughout the entire collection and left me eager to read more of Byrne’s work. This book of poetry is an easy five stars. 💫
Thank you to Brick Books for my copy!
DADDY by Jake Byrne explores parental/intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and kink. I really like the dichotomy in interchanging the word DADDY to mean “father” in some contexts, but “dom” (as in BDSM) in others. The clever wordplay throughout the collection kept me on my toes.
As someone with bipolar disorder II (who has experienced psychosis and mania), I found the poems about Byrne’s own experiences with mania enlightening and relatable. There are many poetry collections out there now about mental illness that brush on acute depression and the struggle to leave the house/get out of bed/etc, but “uglier” symptoms of mental health diagnoses are seldom discussed. It is very refreshing to see representation of more severe mental illness in DADDY. The importance of honest representation is something I, along with other readers of marginalized identities, know firsthand. It’s one reason why books can be so powerful.
Overall, DADDY kept me engaged throughout the entire collection and left me eager to read more of Byrne’s work. This book of poetry is an easy five stars. 💫
Thank you to Brick Books for my copy!