Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by lukenotjohn
Against Which by Ross Gay
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
4.0
| If it was ever in question, Ross Gay has clinched his spot among my top favorite poets. I probably enjoyed this the least of his 3 collections, which is saying a lot because I still found it to be pretty incredible. The first half (Part One and the first half of Part Two) was weaker for me, featuring Gay's gorgeous language and skilled turns of phrase but ultimately feeling a little more hollow than what I'd come to expect from him. That was more than corrected in the second half, however, which has all the rich writing Gay is so masterful at alongside some more thematic cohesion and heart. The Part Three is especially compelling, with most of the poems revolving around Gay's ailing father (to whom the book is dedicated to) as he comes to terms with his dying and death.
The collection as a whole could be considered a meditation on the juxtapositions of violence, pain, and death with tenderness, beauty, and wonder. I read Gay's collections in reverse chronological order, and these focuses are certainly a throughline for him, but I'd say this work is the most bracing and direct in tone and subject, leaning towards the heavier end of the spectrum. For the most part, those tended to be the poems that worked best for me. Many of the aforementioned poems attending to Gay's paternal relationship are the highlights and likely what I'll remember most here ("How to Fall in Love with Your Father," "Why Would We Not," and "Patience" are especially moving). Some are even more brutal, like "Postcard: Lynching of an Unidentified Man, circa 1920," "For a Young Emergency Room Doctor," "The Bullet, in its Hunger," and "Late October in Easton," and I was floored by those as well. The closer, "Thank You," is a bittersweetly perfect conclusion for this, giving voice to my own gratitude for the jewels found here and the testimony to life, death, pain, love, and beauty that runs throughout.
The collection as a whole could be considered a meditation on the juxtapositions of violence, pain, and death with tenderness, beauty, and wonder. I read Gay's collections in reverse chronological order, and these focuses are certainly a throughline for him, but I'd say this work is the most bracing and direct in tone and subject, leaning towards the heavier end of the spectrum. For the most part, those tended to be the poems that worked best for me. Many of the aforementioned poems attending to Gay's paternal relationship are the highlights and likely what I'll remember most here ("How to Fall in Love with Your Father," "Why Would We Not," and "Patience" are especially moving). Some are even more brutal, like "Postcard: Lynching of an Unidentified Man, circa 1920," "For a Young Emergency Room Doctor," "The Bullet, in its Hunger," and "Late October in Easton," and I was floored by those as well. The closer, "Thank You," is a bittersweetly perfect conclusion for this, giving voice to my own gratitude for the jewels found here and the testimony to life, death, pain, love, and beauty that runs throughout.