A review by miffybooks
Dunce by Mary Ruefle

3.0

not on the same level as ruefle’s prose or her essays, but STILL an endearingly delightful read that knows when to make you smile and when to hit you in the heart. that image of her mother’s funeral is gorgeous, and i was amazed by the ways she kept returning to it. that image is an example of the groundedness i wish the rest of the collection had, as it felt pretty absurd/abstract and hard to grasp at a lot of points. made me really miss how well structured her prose is. highly recommend reading several poems in one sitting, i think this book’s at its best when youre rapidly absorbing it!! good book i love u mary