to drink coffee with a ghost is a haunting and visceral addition to lovelace’s latest poetry series.
My Review
I am a huge fan of poetry and I can honestly say that Lovelace is one of my absolute favorite modern poets. There is something about her poetry that strikes a chord with me. Lovelace’s critics have accused her of being a hack and overly simplistic, but I would argue that there is an authenticity to Lovelace’s poems that is so deeply raw and real that it resonates with thousands of people who have survived some form of brokenness or trauma in their own lives.
The experience of grief is complex. So is the appeal of Lovelace’s prosaic verse.
Lovelace’s ouevre is not for the faint of heart and her latest offering is no different. In this collection, she explores her feelings surrounding the death of her mother. How does a person mourn the passing of someone who caused them both physical and emotional harm? What does it mean to be shaped by a history of abuse? How do we at last lay the past to rest and find peace?
The process of mourning is complicated. Lovelace helps readers to process their pain by turning their anguish into art.
Even readers who are not survivors of trauma will be able to appreciate Lovelace’s story. Her poems are deceptively simple. Although her writing seems straightforward, she manages to pack a great deal of emotion into just a few words. Sometimes books come to us at just the right time in our lives. I recently lost a loved one with whom I had a very complicated relationship. Like Lovelace, I prefer to find my solace in the pages of a book. Although Lovelace’s story is not my own, reading about her journey from heartbreak to healing helped me to begin to find words to process my own grief. If you are fan of modern poetry, especially poetry with a feminist/womanist emphasis, you will appreciate the haunting beauty of Lovelace’s latest book.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book Details
Title: to drink coffee with a ghost
Series: things that h(a)unt #2
Author: Amanda Lovelace
Illustrator: Munise Sertel
Genre: Poetry
Length: 160 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Other Poetry Reviews:
Before I Ache : Poetry Review & Poet Interview with Megan O’Keeffe
Quiet Insurrections by Daniel Klawitter
Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav
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Rev. Rebecca Writes 