A Jarful of Moonlight

A Jarful of Moonlight, a poetry collection, by Nazanin Mirsadeghi, is simply described as "a collection of inspirational poems about love, hope, pain, grief, self-discovery and empowerment" (Goodreads). The poems, all untitled, are separated into sections that resonate the overlapping theme. The poems themselves are short and simple, easy to understand with concise imagery. This simultaneously gives a distinct impression while also leaving a little bit more to be desired. I tend to enjoy more metaphorical or feminist poetry because that's what intrigues me. Therefore, I felt a little disconnected from these poems, wanting a starker juxtaposition, a deeper truth to be revealed, or a more vibrant explanation. There were two poems that really struck me, one of which is as follows:

tell me

this walk

on the edge of a cliff

waiting for rock 

to crumble

under my feet

is not love

The image that this poem depicts, in my opinion, is one of the strongest in the collection. Fear, hope, danger, resentment, disbelief... all of these feelings flash through me while reading these seven simple lines. Through this, and a few others, I know that Mirsadeghi has power as a poet. And I've no doubt that others who read this collection will connect with different pieces, some more and some less. The variety within the collection then makes me think that Mirsadeghi's poetry offers something for everyone. Though, as with poetry, I doubt that the same meaning will be drawn from them by different people. For those who enjoy reading poetry, I would definitely say to give this collection a shot. As I couldn't find any other poetry collections by the author, I assume that this is their first published work and can't help but feel that there are deeper meanings that this poet will reach with more work, even though this collection specifically didn't speak to me as much as others I have read.

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Don't Forget Me, Bro

Stunned by the death of his mentally ill brother, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr returns to his hometown in West Virginia for his brother’s funeral only to find out that his estranged family has no such plans.  Once back home, he discovers that his family’s memory, as well as his own, of his brother as a broken, hopeless schizophrenic is belied by mounting evidence that Steve Barr had lived a much fuller and more complicated life.

Armed with this new knowledge, Mark tears off on a mission to honor his brother’s memory with justice and compassion.  As he fights to change the hearts of his father, mother, and middle brother, all of whom are fractured by anger, blame, and dysfunction, his own stability is rocked apart.  

In tough, spare, beautiful language that pulls the reader into the peeling, gothic world of southern West Virginia, Don’t Forget Me, Bro shows us that at the heart of every human existence is the ultimate fear of being forgotten, of simply being gone.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Mark searches for a way to honor a brother he never respected, a brother he feared, in John Michael Cummings novel, Don't Forget Me, Bro. With eloquent prose and remarkable sentence crafting, Cummings reaches the soul and shares it in pieces so that even though the whole may be a chaotic beautiful mess, it's still beautiful.

Mark is the main character of this journey back home who struggles with family, love, and interpersonal connection. Mark is a complicated person. (Aren't we all?) He tends to want things that he can't have and that will make him real to readers. Mark wants a home different from Virginia, a brain that doesn't struggle with happiness, a past that doesn't haunt him, and he definitely wants to be nothing like his father. Though, I think most importantly, he wants to be forgiven by his deceased brother. These deep emotional desires and hopes will connect him to readers. The main story line will introduce sympathy for Mark and lay a reader/character foundation, but the in-depth look into Mark's psyche will be what builds upon that foundation. Because of the way the book is written, Mark cannot hide from the reader. And while he's learning new things about his family, readers witness how he reacts, how he thinks, how he grows (or doesn't) with the information. This will only make the connection with Mark stronger as the book goes on, even though he isn't the nicest, sweetest, most loving, or most sane character. He has a lot of faults, a lot of regrets, but that doesn't make him bad. Readers will see that. 

The plot follows Mark from New York to Virginia the early morning that Steve died. Mark believes there will be a funeral but is surprised when his father shares his decision to cremate. While trying to stop him, Mark learns surprising things that his brother did while he was still alive. The story line reminds me of those 3-D pictures that you held really close to your nose while struggling not to cross your eyes, then slowly you moved your head away and let your eyes focus on their own. Magically, a picture popped out of the page that was a crazy mess of colors just a moment before. That is this book. It's a mess of colors, feelings, going off the deep end. Of threats, hopes, dreams, regrets. And, magically, a picture appears at the end bringing everything into focus. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

This Is Sarah

When Colin Leventhal leaned out his bedroom window on the night of May 12th and said goodbye to his girlfriend, he never expected it would be forever. But when Sarah Evans goes missing that night, Colin's world unravels as he transforms from the boyfriend next door to the main police suspect. Then one year later, at her memorial service, Colin makes a phone call that changes everything. Is it possible that Sarah is still alive? And if so how can he bring her back?

As Colin struggles with this possibility, across the street, Sarah’s little sister, Claire learns how to navigate the strange new landscape of life without her sister. While her parents fall apart, Claire remains determined to keep going even if it kills her.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Ally Malinenko explores what happens to those left behind when someone goes missing in her novel, This Is Sarah. On May 12th, Sarah Evans went to meet her friend for a party and was never seen again. Some of her things were found: shoes, torn shirt, car. And other things weren't: her phone, her body. She left behind a high school of friends, a sister, her parents, and a boyfriend. Now, without Sarah, the world moves on. 

Colin and Claire share the title of main character in this book. Colin is Sarah's boyfriend while Claire is Sarah's younger sister. Both of the characters are easy to connect to because of the situation they're living through. Readers have experienced grief, loss, and anger allowing them to understand the feelings of these two main characters. 

Colin is seventeen, loves to run, and is head over heels for Sarah. When she disappears, Colin begins to lose it. He doesn't understand why Sarah would runaway and he believes that she's trying to return. And because of that, he'll never give up hope. He acts a bit unhinged at times: calling Sarah's phone repeatedly, reading her blog over and over, and making lists about her. But everyone becomes unhinged during grief. Those things are ways that Colin help himself keep going. Readers will see the nitty-gritty disillusioned side of grief and guilt with Colin's perspective, and the honesty portrayed will solidify their connection to Colin. 

Claire is sixteen, just a year or so younger than her sister Sarah. Claire is a band geek, she works hard and enjoys playing the clarinet. Sarah was Claire's role model. She loved and admired her sister. When Sarah disappears, her family starts to crack under the pressure of finding Sarah. After search parties and hotlines, Claire's mother can only mentally survive with medicine and Claire's father is trying to accept things and move on. Readers will connect with Claire through her loss of a loved one. That bond will only grow stronger as Claire decides to live enough for both herself and her sister. She keeps her head up, she takes it one day at a time, and she succeeds. Even with all of the pain and sadness. 

The novel spans over a year, beginning the night of Sarah's disappearance, with a few flashbacks to before, and ending after Colin graduates from high school. The plot follows both Colin and Claire as they struggle to live their lives without Sarah. Though the police are searching for her, Colin thinks they're missing something. He thinks Sarah is still alive. Then after a year of nothing, Sarah's phone suddenly has a voice mail option and when Colin leaves a message for her, the message comes to life. Then there's the letter... But Colin's afraid to tell anyone, what if it isn't real and he has completely lost it? But what if it is and Sarah's trying to get back home? The reality of this novel will certainly enthrall and embrace readers. The writing style is open and honest. Malinenko does an incredible job at bringing readers into the realm of understanding what it's like to go on living after a disappearance. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups