A review by mariannemersereau
In the Hands of the River by Lucien Darjeun Meadows

4.0

As a "child of Appalachia" myself, I found the poems in this collection beautifully reflect the bittersweetness that characterizes the region. I particularly appreciate that Meadows gives voice to his experience of being queer in Appalachia and also of having both Cherokee Indigenous and European heritage. The poems that touch on mental illness are especially moving and the book is replete with images from the natural world that give a sense of the both the beauty and degradation of the landscape.