Because All Is Not Lost by Sweta Srivastava Vikram
Sweta Srivastava Vikram's Because All Is Not Lost is a new chapbook of poems about grief and recovery. While recovering from grief is never the same for everyone, these poems speak to the void that death can leave.
"One day she will stop/digging up maggots of loss/breeding in her memory.//" (From Convalescence, page 18)
Vikram uses simple imagery and encapsulated stories to illustrate grief and the possible reactions to loss. In the introduction, the poets explains her inspiration for the collection, the deaths of her grandfather and her mother's sister. The collection is sad and weighs heavily on the reader, and readers should consider taking each poem in separately to absorb their meaning. However, there are rays of hope within the poems.
From A permanent address, "Flood of affection is what I get from her -/jasmine flowers mixed with olive and a soft kiss// of assurance. She whispers/that it was a recurring nightmare./That I was safe" (page 20)
Because All Is Not Lost is a chapbook that will affect readers like no other poetry collection. Readers will be absorbed by the grief and the glimmers of light as the narrators deal with emptiness and blame.
***Thanks to the poet Sweta Srivastava Vikram for sending me a copy for review***
Now for the global giveaway; 2 copies up for grabs:
1. Leave a comment about a moment of loss you've felt and how you dealt with it.
2. Blog, Facebook, or Tweet this giveaway and leave a link here.
Deadline Aug. 27, 2010, at 11:59 PM EST
This is my 10th book for the Clover Bee & Reverie Poetry Challenge.
This is my 41st book for the 2010 New Authors Reading Challenge.