A review by koreanlinda
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

This book landed on my lap magically. (I mean, it caught my attention on display in a library.) I was already deep in thought on the topic of loving my body, and Rupi Kaur's poems helped me think about it more, also from different angles. 

The biggest strength of Kaur's poems is that she bravely bears vulnerability. 
i don't know why
i split myself open
for others knowing
sewing myself up
hurts this much
afterward
It is painful to hear the stories of violence that she and other women experienced at early ages. But that's what writing can do for you. By writing, you shed the pain, and at the same time, others shed it, too, while reading. 

What makes this book weak (presumably weaker than Kaur's later books) is that many poems reveal Kaur's heavy dependence on male partners. It pained me to witness that. The book is filled with poems of heartbreaks and healing, but the healing won't last if you stay dependent on men as in "every revolution/ starts and ends/ with his lips" (p.48).  Kaur also disturbingly uses the word "love" for certain past relationships that were abusive or toxic. For example, "love made the danger/ in you look like safety" (p.104). In my opinion, that is not love, but rather infatuation or delusion. I hear that her later books are better, so I look forward to reading them. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in December 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings