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A review by jayisreading
Good Monster by Diannely Antigua

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.25

There’s a particular candor in Antigua’s poems that make it feel as though you’re in an intimate conversation with her and not just reading what she has to say. Antigua lays bare the emotional and mental pain she suffered in this collection, ranging from sexual abuse as a child to religious trauma, while also sharing her disabled experiences with chronic pain and mental illness. There’s no question that this collection is heavy, but it’s a powerful one that reflects a resilience to continue to find love and life in spite of all the negatives.

I was especially taken to the “Diary Entry” poems, which were made up of collaged words from her actual diary entries over the decades. I also appreciated that there was a Spotify playlist for this collection. These particularly personal touches made these poems especially beautiful, even if many were heartbreaking.
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