A book of poetry about seeking beauty and meaning in a disintegrating world.
In this collection of poems, Kyle seeks the sacred in the modern world. She opens with a meditation on “species grief”; the speaker scrolls and scrolls on their phone, looking for answers that one can’t find on the internet. A childhood memory resurfaces while the speaker chops onions in “Confession.” The poet paints a cozy morning scene with coffee and cinnamon buns in “Hearth,” and a poem titled “Domesticity” is surprisingly sensual: “trace with your thumbnail / the line that knits my ribs, expect me to unzip. Expect / to find not blood, but hot melted nectar there.” The speaker of “Home/world” attempts to distract themself from commonplace horrors, such as mass shootings and the climate crisis, with online shopping, but to no avail: “I look up fluffy comforters. I want / to be comforted. the economy doesn’t comfort me.” Another poem features the lament, “I don’t know how to change / the world. I do know how to make good / blueberry pancakes.” The author concludes with the titular poem, in which fossilized lightning is a metaphor for the narrator: “Like this, I become / a heart that singes and sings, / full of luminous paths.” Kyle is a spellbinding poet who sometimes makes magic with words: A girl with a glitter camouflage backpack is a “sequined celebration,” a mouth is a “cotton candy paint smear,” and God “lands / as cricket song and hound barks / over dark yards. In moonstone sweat / that curls perfumed hair on her neck.” She vividly describes how the “turnip of my heart turns a little. rotates wetly,” and the way “Insects are oublietted in the lampshade.” The result is a tender, endearing narrative of what it means to be human in the modern world.
A soulful and often stunning poetry collection.Pub Date: May 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798986966397
Page Count: 86
Publisher: Cornerstone Press
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
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Exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.
Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple—until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families—in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place—the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn—feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions.
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593441275
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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SEEN & HEARD
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