3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Walking in Blind is a collection of poetry themed around emotions, ranging from happiness to sadness to pain - written by an author who themselves grew to learn that emotions were power. It's quite difficult to write a summary because this book is a collection of pieces rather than one single piece of writing but what I love is that although it is comprised of different pieces, you can still look at it holistically as one person's story. The narrative voice is very unique it sounds as though the author truly understands what it is like to battle inner demons. There are poems that focus on both positive and negative emotions, illustrating how life consists of both good and bad days.
I really liked how there were some poems that were more explicit, like "A Letter to my Ex Best Friend" and some that were more abstract, like "Mortal Lies". My favorite poem out of the entire book would be "Depression from a Depressed Perspective". It not only uses figurative language beautifully but also talks about whether or not depression is an illness, which touches a little upon sociology, something I am personally very interested in. Another one of my favorites was "Only One Can See", which I could easily relate to as it brought out feelings of loneliness and alienation.
One issue I have with the book is the inconsistency in title capitalizations. Some titles have the first letter of each word capitalized, like "Charity Chances," but others only capitalize the first letter of the first word, like "Guilty kisses".
Another criticism I have is that there seems to be a lack of variety; though the topics differed, the rhythm and meters used were often very similar and therefore it sometimes became a bit repetitive. I would've like to see the author be a little more experimental, whether it was using different emphasis and accents or formatting her poems differently.
Due to the above reasons, I rate his book 3 out of 4 stars. Overall, I thought this book was very relatable, especially to anyone who has dealt with adversity in their lifetime or has had difficulty expressing their emotions. I applaud the author for their bravery in opening up in such a beautiful and powerful way. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes poetry or memoirs, and I think people who enjoy psychology in literature would also enjoy this quick read.
******
Walking In Blind: A Collection of Poetry
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like psychopathycathy's review? Post a comment saying so!