breanneporter 's review for:

Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner

3.5

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This a very short narrative poem, told in 4 parts (“books”), about the author’s dissolution of her long term relationship with a male partner and immediately subsequent one-year relationship with the first woman she loved, the one she left him for. It delves into the complications of loving two people at once, at leaving not just a person but a sense of safety, an entire life that she’d built, and navigating the complicated emotions of polyamory and submission. 

I think my expectations were misaligned for this one, and it did fall a bit flat for me. I read in one sitting and there was certainly some beautiful writing but unfortunately not much that felt like it would stick with me for long.  Ultimately I think I’ll find this one to be a bit forgettable. But glad I read it during national poetry month!