Book Review 

Title of the Book: Spilling Silence

Author's Name: Jyotsna Atre

Format: PDF

 

Thoughts:

Some said, some beautifully unsaid ;

Some just felt, some conveyed;

Some whispered , while silences that roared!

This is how I felt after reading this beautiful book of poetry which is a collection of 26 poems that began as postcards from the memory of the poet but soon expanded into a commentary on the times we are living! A poetry platter, with different flavor to feed your taste buds of thoughts & rational thinking.

About the Author: Jyotsna has spent many years as a military spouse exploring various parts of the country while also raising her son and working as an instructional designer, before deciding to give voice to her writing. She shares her thoughts in her space i.e. https://apocketfulofwords.wordpress.com/

Narration: The narration is very unique where in there is a little story before each poem which kind of introduces the reader to what comes ahead and helps build a connect. The pictures and the different pattern of presenting the poems also has its own unique flavor.

Book Cover & Title: The title is my favorite as it surely conveys the weight that it carries. The cover of the book is monochromatic and might give a feeling of a thriller book, but the reader will only be thrilled by the collection of thoughts that this book presents.

Content: I took up this book with anticipation in my mind as to what lay ahead and by the time I covered the last poem of the book I was filled with a sense of satisfaction along with a lot to think through. Each single poem in the book resonated so well that I took a little time to visualize what it wanted to convey! Jyotsna is a weaver of words and she has covered a myriad of topics while writing the poems. Some poems are long and some are very short but its praise worthy, that the message conveyed is the same ! A little brief in the format of a postcard before each poem helps the readers to connect with the perspective that the author wants to convey.

The book begins with a poem ‘Apologies’ where belated apologies that we come across in life take place when things do not go as planned. A hard hitting piece, “Broken Bonds” will surely be close to every woman who has experienced the bridge that she crosses while taking a man’s hand . Portraying the empty feeling of memory loss of an aged soul to narrating what a child feels while handling cyber bullying, the poet has put her hand into some very serious social issues and presented before the readers to convey fleeting thoughts that might come across one’s mind but generally remains unspoken!

Few poems are motivational as well that tries to uplift one’s soul when one reads the poem titled “Feed the Fire” where she talks about certain human emotions and how to deal with them.

Few lines ( quoted)as below:

Remember that/
Perhaps
I will think of you
when I am alone
For 
Even the wind should never hear
Not if it's a girl who should have been born as a son/

This part in a poem titled ” Honor , In the name of “is a a brilliant take on multi dimensional aspect of questioning the patriarchy, the longing of a mother, the unsaid pain under the wraps of relationships that this society thrusts on women!

The ongoing agony, the frustration, the despair etc. that this dreaded pandemic has left in all of us in a state of despair does find a place too in the book . The poet takes the readers from one feeling to another through her poems effectively and entices them with the magic of her words. Though I loved all the poems and it might be difficult to choose a favorite, but the poem titled Tears of Shame, did make me emotional and pondering for a long time. I do not want to give in the plot of the poem and urge the readers to quickly down load the book and enjoy every piece that in itself encompasses a whole world of thought within.

The last poem titled “Zero” interestingly captured my special attention as it was just like a door that can be closed as an exit yet function as an entrance to open a new world .

I love poetry myself and words, and if you do so, you must not miss out on this book.

The book is available for free download on the Blogchatter website: Spilling Silence

The book blurb is as below:

PS. This book is part of #BlogChatterEbook carnival in which my book, Heartfelt Symphonies was also launched and is available for free download as of now.

Love,

Chinmayee