Taylor Patrick

The introduction compared these works to Plath and, honestly, I think that was doing them a kind disservice. As an avid poetry reader, I understand the desire to hype a collection up by comparing it to a big name, but I just did not see Plath in these poems (love Plath as I do). Simone Muench has curated a lovely (and consumable) volume that I ate through in 2 sittings. I went back for a third to go over my highlights and leave some notes, blah blah. It's truly enthralling. I see where it is an homage to Desnos and his surrealism, she mastered that dreamlike whimsy extremely well. Words are deliberate and beautiful, leaving the reader in a strange in between place from the waking world and Muench's words-- reading Lampblack & Ash was like having a picnic at the crossroads. Beautiful and HUMAN. I often wax poetic about the beauty of impotent human flailing and that every now and then, you get something that reaches out and grasps your heart in a way that is multilayered and ethereal, something not quite able to be placed into words at the time. Lampblack & Ash will go gently into that goodnight of being placed back on the bookshelf after you've finished your first go at it, but you will find your mind wandering back to it. If I had to compare this book to anyone else's, it would specifically be Clarice Lispector's "The Hour of the Star" (a novella, originally written in portugese, but translated very well). I would even suggest it as a companion piece to read alongside Lampblack & Ash, as I feel it would add to the tone and the emotion being fostered here. Happy reading, folks.