This collection will knock your socks off. One of my favorite things about Smollen’s style is the way she will use a verb the reader doesn’t expect to turn a line in a surprising direction. Similarly, her use of enjambment often makes the next line punch the reader in the solar plexus. Even her use of punctuation shows an attention to the reader’s response. This juxtaposition of a playful use of language and the heavy content Smollen is working with can leave the reader feeling like he just engaged in a match with a karate expert; you will admire her skill, you may enjoy the ride as she spins you in the air over her head, but you will see some bruises rising to the surface of your skin over the next few days. That’s not to say the collection is gloomy; for example, “A Rare Occasion” will make the reader smile, and then Smollen’s signature twist isn’t to something darker but to a brave joy that will make the reader want to strut down the street with her. The bruising comes when she follows it with “Never Far from Dwelled Upon Fairy Tales” and welcomes the reader into a pain that will suck all that swagger away and make the reader want to walk somberly with Smollen and all the dreams that never should have been heaved onto our backs as children. All in all, this book made Smollen leap to the top of my “poets to watch” list, and I will be eagerly anticipating whatever she offers up next.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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Finished reading
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2 September, 2019:
Reviewed
