POETRY

Gut

by Amanda Larson
Omnidawn. Oct. 2021. 104p. ISBN 9781632430977. pap. $17.95. POETRY
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Winner of the Omnidawn 1st/2nd Book Prize, selected by Jericho Brown, Larson’s debut interrogates life after trauma in quietly penetrating verse that frequently cites leading feminist critics like Eve Sedgwick and bell hooks. As such, it’s stylistically distinctive, almost essay-like, with Larson reflecting poignantly on how to reclaim her body and control of her life after sexual assault (“But what do you do if it is terrifying to move?”). As she bravely unfolds her ardent before and her shattered afterward, she challenges herself with a string of questions (“What type of recovery is this?”).

VERDICT The violence is omnipresent yet held at bay; the poet gifts us (and herself) with her story. For smart poetry readers and anyone interested in feminist issues.
Reviewed by Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal , Nov 01, 2021
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