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WHEN THE STARS WROTE BACK by Trista Mateer

WHEN THE STARS WROTE BACK

Poems

by Trista Mateer ; illustrated by Jessica Cruickshank

Pub Date: June 2nd, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-17267-4
Publisher: Random House

Free-form poetry about the struggle to find agency is paired with softly rendered illustrations.

Alternating in style from brief, punchy verses to lists to longer pieces that read like confessional vignettes, these poems explore difficult relationships (romantic, platonic, and familial) through a feminist lens and examine the ways in which they can result in a loss of self. A trigger warning at the beginning preps readers for content that includes topics such as eating disorders, sexual assault, mental illness, and emotional abuse. These issues and more are woven throughout this collection that simultaneously embodies tough wit and vulnerability and is sectioned into four parts—“Half-light,” “Midnight,” “Starfall,” and “Dawn”—that reflect the emotional arc of the narrator. Queer romantic relationships are a subject of discussion, but there is no mention or examination of race or ethnicity as a facet of identity and experience. Understated grayscale drawings and handwritten phrases mesh well with verses that move with fluidity across the pages. While there are some stylistic embellishments, these poems are at their core distinctly message-driven, often taking on the tone of self-help literature. This will likely resonate with some readers who share the experiences being parsed but may not pull in those who don’t.

An earnest but didactic collection that is both personal and political.

(Poetry. 14-18)