Review: The Twenty-Ninth Year

The Twenty-Ninth Year by Hala Alyan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the publisher blurb: "In Islamic and Western tradition, age twenty-nine is a milestone, a year of transformation and upheaval."

It's fitting that these poems all deal with the feeling of place and belonging, examining whether or not the poet is happy or where she wants to be, and who she wants to be with. Memories and dreams intertwine with the emotions of the moment, and a struggle with sobriety, and I really took my time to read and reread these poems.

Some of my highlights:

Armadillo
"...The Doha villa still makes me cry and it takes a decade to understand what my parents always knew: all the love in the world won't buy you what you wanted in the first place...."

You're Not a Girl in a Movie
"...there's always a dark darker than the dark you know."

Step Eight: Make Amends
"...Scream that he is an asshole, that there are girls you'd
be kissing if it weren't for him, that you are trying to
Pottery Barn your way to quiet...."

The Honest Wife
"...I lied and said I loved Philadelphia, but really I just loved the idea of a place so old it only knew how to tell the truth."

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book came out January 29, 2019. I had previously read and really liked the novel Salt Houses, so I was very interested in the poems.

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