Upbeat and direct messages about one woman’s journey through the Covid-19 era.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic inspires a collection of poetry.
Banerjee, in a foreword, explains that this set of poems “brings together my feelings, reflections, and reminiscences during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The volume is divided into sections, creating a kind of progression from a chronicle of early days of sheltering in place to relating a wider perspective about the cycles of human existence. Early entries detail the struggle of isolation and familiar routines: “Too bad this is our new life, / but we must keep up the fight, / pool our resources, join forces / and battle COVID-19 out of Earth” (“The New Life”). Amid this prolonged stasis, a speaker finds comfort in her creative writing, which she likens to a “wild horse” which she will ride and “go whither he will” until “a book is written” (“A Surge of Energy”). While acknowledging the pandemic’s hardships, Banerjee’s poems also effectively articulate battles fought on inner terrain: “Fear is a liar, / Fueled by imagination, / Fear manipulates our perception,” a speaker cries in “Fear,” and longingly asks if it wouldn’t be “just great / to stick our heads / in the clouds— / and disappear in the hazy shrouds?” (“Clouds”). Political polarization and conspiracy theories are absent from the experiences chronicled here; the poet instead favors optimism: “We’ve been caught off guard by a thousand unwelcome circumstances— / it is a supreme act of will staying positive” (“Feelings”). These spare, direct poems are heartfelt, reading more like aphorisms or microconfessions, resisting elaborate forms in favor of simple vulnerability. Looking at this chapter of her life like the scaling of a steep, upward road, a speaker concludes that, ultimately, “Looking back, I feel delighted / I dared the deadly path” (“The Road”). One cannot deny how personal these entries are. However, readers may wish for more ambiguity and nuance; lines such as “Love hormones are a great way to beat the COVID-19 blues until you break up” (“In Love?”) are intriguing, but only reveal a hint of emotional depth.
Upbeat and direct messages about one woman’s journey through the Covid-19 era.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 97
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Breathtakingly magical.
A powerful homage to the natural world, from England by way of Canada.
Combining poetic words (somewhat reminiscent of Mary Oliver’s poetry in their passion for the natural world) with truly stunning illustrations, this unusually beautiful book brings to readers the magic and wonder of nature. This is not a book about ecology or habitat; this is a book that encourages readers to revel in, and connect with, the natural world. Focusing on a particular subject, whether it be animal, insect, or plant, each poem (rendered in a variety of forms) delivers a “spell” that can be playful, poignant, or entreating. They are most effective when read aloud (as readers are encouraged to do in the introduction). Gorgeous illustrations accompany the words, both as stand-alone double-page spreads and as spot and full-page illustrations. Each remarkable image exhibits a perfect mastery of design, lively line, and watercolor technique while the sophisticated palette of warms and cools both soothes and surprises. This intense interweaving of words and pictures creates a sense of immersion and interaction—and a sense that the natural world is part of us. A glossary encourages readers to find each named species in the illustrations throughout the book––and to go one step further and bring the book outside, to find the actual subjects in nature. Very much in the spirit of the duo’s magisterial The Lost Words (2018), this companion is significantly smaller than its sprawling companion; at just 6.5 by 4.5 inches when closed, it will easily fit into a backpack or generously sized pocket. “Wonder is needed now more than ever,” Macfarlane writes in the introduction, and this book delivers it.
Breathtakingly magical. (Poetry. 6-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4870-0779-9
Page Count: 120
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2020
Sublimely complex characters drive this story that promotes empathy for all earthly creatures.
A college student’s mysterious origins may have ties to her dreams of talking animals in Walters’ novel.
Frances “Frankie” Connor’s professor challenges her on the first day of her neuroscience doctoral program: He vehemently disagrees when she claims one particular lab rat is, quite simply, ticklish. Frankie is convinced that animals understand humans beyond reading their tone of voice or body language. It’s a theory she’d like to prove, especially now that she’s dreaming of forest creatures, like a gray wolf and a squirrel, who regularly converse with her. These interactions feel real—one animal recites a poem Frankie has never heard before. They also apparently know, but won’t say, where she’s from; Frankie, who was adopted, knows only nominal details about her birth parents. So, in between lab experiments on animals’ communication with humans, Frankie delves into her murky past with a bit of help from both a fellow student and the professor’s research assistant. With any luck, she’ll uncover enough to remember who she really is. Walters’ mesmerizing, multilayered protagonist truly elevates this tale. She’s not without flaws, including bouts of selfishness, and her relationships are thorny, particularly with her adoptive parents and younger brother. Frankie also suffers from depression, the chief reason she’s interested in the field of neuroscience (“I realized I could use neuroscience to do some good. You know, study the brain to find out how to help other people not go through what I did”). The main mystery is inside her head—readers only know what Frankie knows, and it’s unclear whether or not she’s genuinely speaking with the animals. Her hazy genesis further complicates the plot. Welcome lighthearted touches include such lovable animal characters as Shelly, a turtle who’s always seemingly out of breath. While the message of extending kindness toward all nonhuman animals is somewhat heavy-handed, the novel’s multi-dimensional, multi-species cast gives it much-needed impact.
Sublimely complex characters drive this story that promotes empathy for all earthly creatures.Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781684632428
Page Count: 256
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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