Flow Blue

Rating:
Summary: New American Gothic
Review: As a reader of poetry, I am struck not only by how well Flow Blue's poems weave themselves together, but how the poems themselves flow one into the next, weaving a dense tapestry of images and stories.

As a reader of fiction, I am struck by just how well these poems narrate the persona's journey from confused adolescence through to womanhood, reflecting back on childhood in a way that is both exotic and familiar. Reading each poem compels the reader to move forward into the next, building a life story in moments.

The persona herself embodies American womanhood in a way that echoes films like Smooth Talk and the end of Lolita, but without arrogance or malice. As she runs [or was she taken] from her strict parent's house at the behest of her sister and into her sister's husband's arms, she turns from a manipulated child to a mother and a woman who carves another life from her own.

I would recommend this book to lovers of poetry, I also think Flow Blue would make a great choice for someone who doesn't think or doesn't know s/he likes poetry. The constructions are strong, and the images are vivid without stretching the mind to grasp them, and the story sets up a strong narrative with accessible language that allows the reader to see the polarity between American beauty and American darkness.