If you are a regular reader of this blog, or if you follow me on social media, you will know I love reading and I am particularly fond of poetry. It won’t be a surprise to learn then, that when offered the chance to review “I Left The Room Burning, by Beth O’Brien, I absolutely leapt at the chance.
The Book
A woman who never wanted children finds herself reluctantly bringing up her sister’s daughter. The aunt is in an abusive relationship. The niece is a strange child who wishes to disappear. The narrative threaded through these eighty short poems confuses and obfuscates, whilst at the same time completely drawing the reader into the extent that by the end, one is left with the feeling of having watched a deeply immersive film or read an engrossing novella.
The Author
Beth O’Brien weaves magic with her lyrical and evocative language, and with the tangibility of her characters’ unreliable voices, she reveals herself as a master storyteller.
My Review
This is a heart felt tale, told in the shape of a series of poems. This style of story reminds me very much of Amanda Lovelace – you can read the book cover to cover or you can dip in and out, selecting poems on a whim and either way works. Some poems are funny, some are heart breaking – a gut punch that you don’t see coming. Even though this obviously isn’t my story, some of these words really resonated with me and I will definitely read some of them so often that thye will be commited to memory and etched on my poetry heart.
Beautiful, evocative, life affirming, heart breaking. If you have never read a book of poems before, start here. 5/5 Highly recommended.
Get your copy here – I Left The Room Burning
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My thanks to Beth O’Brien, Wildpressed Books and Love Books Tours for my #gifted copy and the opportunity to be part of this tour.
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