A review by rickyschneider
Guillotine: Poems by Eduardo C. Corral

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

These poems are often discomforting, sometimes disturbing but always thick with atmosphere and a gritty Mexican desert aesthetic. The enigmatic voice of the writer is intimate yet abstruse. It's difficult to pin them down except that they clearly hate their own body and love a thick bearded man. The poems are filled with self-loathing and longing that felt raw and relatable. Corral laces the dusty, rugged landscape of the poems with the many shades of xenophobic and racist attitudes that linger pervasively in the margins of his self-doubt. It should never be underestimated that, though these hateful slurs and disgusting attitudes toward immigrants are clearly dehumanizing generalizations, they still have an effect on the individual psyche and worm their way into the author's subconscious and self-perception. The overall collection is as varied and rocky as the southwestern tundra. Some sections are stunning and scintillating while others fall a bit flat. Still, the uneven terrain of the writing always feels authentic and honest in a visceral and unvarnished way that was entrancing and evocative to the last page.