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A review by storiesandsidequests
Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light by Nikita Gill
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Nikita Gill has been one of my favorite contemporary poets since I stumbled across her collection Fierce Fairy Tales several years ago. Where Hope Comes From is her collection of poems written during the pandemic that captures the struggles of loneliness and sense of loss, but also the pervasive hope that keeps us going.
The structure of the book is woven around the lifecycle of a star to split the poems into sections. I thought that was an interesting way to structure it, though I didn't consciously take much note of the way each section of poems were connected. I enjoyed the series of mantras and the fact that they were well spaced throughout the book also to avoid them becoming repetitive.
The poems included in this collection painted an accurate and lyrical portrayal of life in lockdown and put into words many of the emotions and circumstances I've personally experienced during the pandemic.
While I sometimes find pandemic reflections tiresome at this point in time, these were quite the opposite. Gill manages to capture the dark feelings she experiences in a way that is relatable and does not feel self-pitying. Her words also encourage the reader to remain hopeful in a way that is approachable without being patronizing.
I found this best to dip into for a few minutes throughout the day. I've already revisited several of the passages I bookmarked on days I needed extra encouragement and I can't wait until this is released in the US so I can get my hands on a physical copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The structure of the book is woven around the lifecycle of a star to split the poems into sections. I thought that was an interesting way to structure it, though I didn't consciously take much note of the way each section of poems were connected. I enjoyed the series of mantras and the fact that they were well spaced throughout the book also to avoid them becoming repetitive.
The poems included in this collection painted an accurate and lyrical portrayal of life in lockdown and put into words many of the emotions and circumstances I've personally experienced during the pandemic.
While I sometimes find pandemic reflections tiresome at this point in time, these were quite the opposite. Gill manages to capture the dark feelings she experiences in a way that is relatable and does not feel self-pitying. Her words also encourage the reader to remain hopeful in a way that is approachable without being patronizing.
I found this best to dip into for a few minutes throughout the day. I've already revisited several of the passages I bookmarked on days I needed extra encouragement and I can't wait until this is released in the US so I can get my hands on a physical copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.