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The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón
2.5

Some of these poems are a startling display of talent - but of course, I don't need to be the one to tell you that Limon's acclaim as a wordsmith is warranted. What I will tell you is that despite those bright spots, I found much of the content of this collection repetitive (both thematically and structurally) and its takeaways oddly simplistic. The best poems here are utterly delectable, but the collection as a whole is bloated.

Highlights include "A Good Story", "In the Shadow", "Stillwater Cove", "Jar of Scorpions", "The First Fish", "Cyrus & the Snakes" and "It's the Season I Often Mistake".