Review: Brute: Poems

Brute: Poems by Emily Skaja
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This powerful debut collection deserves multiple readings and I've read most of them out loud as well. The end of an unhealthy relationship comes with damage and these poems reflect all of it. Some reposition the narrative to defend the person who finally got out, some are confrontational, some speak to the shared experience many women have. When I marked favorites to share it was practically every poem but my two top poems are probably "Brute / Brute Heart" (read in Crab Orchard Review) and "No, I Do Not Want to Connect with You on LinkedIn" (also posted on The Rumpus.)

This past year has been my first subscribed to the Graywolf Galley Club, and they sent this debut collection as a gift for a debut donor. Neat idea and I'm glad this is the collection they chose.

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