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After Hazel becomes an accidental arsonist, leaving her mom and stepdad's house in ashes, she is given a one way plane ticket to her estranged father's for the summer.
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Anaïs Chartschenko is a special talent. I say this often and I'll keep saying it because as an indie author, talented voices-special voices- require support to be said a bit more often.
Yet again I finish one of her poetry books, this time a verse novel, and am overwhelmed with a lot of feelings. This is not a book that's easy to read and I suspect it wasn't easy to write. It deals with a lot of real world issues and it takes a firm stance, but it doesn't scream at the top of this longs THIS is my truth or THIS is what I believe. Instead, the words in this verse novel ring true and deep and genuinely. It is not out to make a point or a statement, it is meant to capture a truth and one a lot of people will be uncomfortable with for different reasons.
But that's Chartschenko for you. She's not out to talk about daffodils, Mercury being in retrograde, or other topics. She's out to capture verses that cut and hit and scratch and claw and are. Rather than skip or avoid the topic, I'll say it, if you're pro-life, this book is probably not for you and that's OK. Her books are often not for everyone, another reason why I consistently do my best to recommend to people who will appreciate the magic she so often captures. The curious thing is that if you're also militantly pro-choice, there might be some things that you disagree with...and there's the magic in this collection. That she managed to capture a fully fleshed, super real, story of life, living, and the muck in between in a way where it just is.
How she does it? I don't know and to be honest, I don't care. I'll just keep reading, keep enjoying, and keep recommending because if I can help get one more reader to appreciate her work, I've done a service to literature, poetry, and a writer that continues to impress, amaze, and capture magic.
-5 Star Amazon Review
Yet again I finish one of her poetry books, this time a verse novel, and am overwhelmed with a lot of feelings. This is not a book that's easy to read and I suspect it wasn't easy to write. It deals with a lot of real world issues and it takes a firm stance, but it doesn't scream at the top of this longs THIS is my truth or THIS is what I believe. Instead, the words in this verse novel ring true and deep and genuinely. It is not out to make a point or a statement, it is meant to capture a truth and one a lot of people will be uncomfortable with for different reasons.
But that's Chartschenko for you. She's not out to talk about daffodils, Mercury being in retrograde, or other topics. She's out to capture verses that cut and hit and scratch and claw and are. Rather than skip or avoid the topic, I'll say it, if you're pro-life, this book is probably not for you and that's OK. Her books are often not for everyone, another reason why I consistently do my best to recommend to people who will appreciate the magic she so often captures. The curious thing is that if you're also militantly pro-choice, there might be some things that you disagree with...and there's the magic in this collection. That she managed to capture a fully fleshed, super real, story of life, living, and the muck in between in a way where it just is.
How she does it? I don't know and to be honest, I don't care. I'll just keep reading, keep enjoying, and keep recommending because if I can help get one more reader to appreciate her work, I've done a service to literature, poetry, and a writer that continues to impress, amaze, and capture magic.
-5 Star Amazon Review
