[ I received a copy on Netgalley in return for an honest review. ]

'Swallowtail' is a poetry book that explores the challenges of grief, trauma and mental health through popular culture and the author's own personal experiences.

"To love me / is to love a haunted house. / It's fun to visit once a year, / but no one wants to live there."

There were many powerful poems, just like the one above, through out the book and what I enjoyed most about them was the fact that they weren't excessively flowery and were instead straight to the point. It helped to grab my attention, and keep it there.

The author often included references to popular culture like "Harry Potter" and "Batman", and I think that helped to give me a better understanding of the poems as a whole. They also gave a different interpretation into how these other characters may have been feeling at the time (for example, Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter), and I found that really interesting.

Although I couldn't necessarily relate to everything that the author covers through out the book, I still found it to be an enjoyable, quick read and I would love to check out more of Brenna Twohy's works in the future!

Would definitely recommend!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

I have been watching Brenna Twohy read her poetry on Button Poetry for years now. I was excited to read this collection, and it did not disappoint. Twohy can turn a beautiful phrase, even while writing about grim topics. Many of these poems are about trauma and profound loneliness. It is deeply personal. On both a positive and negative, I think these are poems that are meant to be read aloud. I wasn't always convinced by the line spacing choices, but Twohy always pulled me back in with the raw emotion. I would recommend this collection to those who are already familiar with Twohy's work or those who are fans of the style of spoken word often featured on Button Poetry.

My favorite was "The guy in the back of the room" and they kept getting better from there. The poems have a good flow from one to the next. However, be wary of many triggers. Great short poetry book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"grief is not a feeling
but a neighborhood.

this is where I come from.
everyone still lives there."

This collection of poetry tells a few beautiful and heartbreaking stories of loss. Loss of love, loss of family, loss of self. I'm blown away. From the first line of the first poem, Brenna Twohy's grief is evident. She doesn't shy away from it but instead lays it all out there. This is the best collection of poetry I've read in 2019.

Every time I read a poetry collection I'm reminded of why I don't read poetry collections. They're all practically the same thing these days. They're also so personal it's hard to relate sometimes. I always like a handful of poems and the rest are just whatever. There's nothing really wrong with this collection. It just feels like more of the same to me.

I first came across Brenna Twohy's poetry a ⁣
few months ago on the @buttonpoetry Facebook page. I was impressed and did a quick search for her book at my library, but couldn't find anything. Fast forward a few weeks and I stumbled on Swallowtail while browsing NetGalley! Released in October, this poetry collection hit home for me from the very first words:⁣
⁣
WHEN I SAY I FORGIVE YOU, KNOW THIS:⁣
I did not bury the hatchet.⁣
I have the hatchet in my hand.⁣
I am building myself a new house.⁣
⁣
Twohy lays herself bare in her poems with skin prickling vulnerability, her writing style a testament to the idea that sadness and love and fear and grief and healing and mental illness and strength and humor and pop culture can (and do) co-exist. I was reminded of @fransbookshops's interview with Max Porter where he said, "Life is very funny and life is very sad, and those two things aren't separate."⁣
⁣
Basically, I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on whatever Twohy writes next.⁣
⁣
TW: sexual assault, abuse, suicide⁣
⁣

Impressive and powerful right from the first page, this is one of those rare modern poetry books that stands out on its own merit.

WHEN I SAY I FORGIVE YOU,
KNOW THIS
I did not bury the hatchet.
I have the hatchet in my hands.
I am building a new house.

I enjoyed this book, whose poems talk about grief, loss, trauma, abusive relationships, mental health, survival and more. I also loved the pop culture references e.g. Harry Potter and Batman. The Neville Longbottom one really stuck to me because it gave unique insight and a different perspective to popular opinion.

The execution and writing style are also commendable e.g. being subtle and ambivalent without being bizarre / spiteful / flowery for the sake of it. I'm not sure how to put it exactly but I just love how the author can say so much in so few words.

I will definitely be checking out the author's other works.

Brenna Twohy never disappoints. In Swallowtail, she explores past abusive relationships, grieving her brother’s death, and mental illness. I will definitely be picking up a copy of this one and recommend it to all who enjoy modern poetry.