An exquisite, evocative collection that delves into the beauty, mystery, and curiosities of life.
With profound insight, Merrow’s poetry explores people and places.
In this free-verse poetry, Merrow serves as an astute observer and documentarian of life. Be it a 100th birthday party, a grandmother’s Christmas visit, newlyweds moving to California, or unpacking Civil War–era china, she honors the poignant details of existence. “Graffiti Free” reminisces about an untethered period of life when the subject was free to do what she pleased. Merrow often explores the power of nature, such as the ability of an eclipse to awe people from all walks of life: “We yearn for the eclipse, / something new—a corona, / flares to rekindle hope, banana- / shaped visions, another decade.” Merrow experiments with form in “Camp Skit in Five Parts, Wherein a White Woman Plays Dead To See Where It Gets Her.” In “Craving,” she ponders what it would be like to live in another’s skin, ultimately deeming even that act of magic insufficient to understand someone else’s life. She concludes with a meditative poem that erases the division between humans and the natural world: “we are, / after all, made of the same stuff — / earth, water, sky, with nowhere to go.” Merrow makes music out of the ordinary with phrases like a “handsome nest” of hair, “the usual crawl of cars,” the “siren-flamed sunshine,” or a heron on “dripping stilts.” Something as simple as morning conversation turns undeniably sensual under Merrow’s gaze: “Mornings in bed talk is an ocean, / its swells and troughs the waters of life.” The poems are brief but powerful. There are no wasted words here, and each poem’s conclusion feels like watching an Olympic athlete execute a perfect dive. But Merrow occasionally cuts off too soon, abandoning the reader just as they immersed themselves in the scene she created. While the reader vividly sees the world through her eyes, the speaker herself remains somewhat shrouded.
An exquisite, evocative collection that delves into the beauty, mystery, and curiosities of life.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-950462-71-1
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Kelsay Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
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
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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