It took me a while to get into the flow of this one, and I’ll confess, there were definitely a few poems in the beginning where I just had no idea what Alyan was talking about. But as you get into the groove it becomes a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of displacement, war, diaspora, loss, blurred borders and identities, family, and resilience. The format of “interactive fiction” poetry was really creative and interested—though I will say, Kindle was not the best format to read it in! Overall, this was a beautiful and very moving collection that made me eager to read more of Alyan’s work.

My favorites were:
- They Both Die on Mondays in April
- [Political] Dialogue
- Half-Life in Exile
- Sleep Study No. 3
- When they Say Pledge Allegiance, I Say
- Miscarriage
- Bore
- Interactive Fiction :: Werewolf
- Naturalized
- Fixation

Thank you so much to Ecco for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review! I’m looking forward to seeing what this one looks like in print :)

While reading Hala Alyan’s "The Moon That Turns You Back," I was reminded of Ilya Kaminsky’s "Deaf Republic" and the way it weaves different voices and fragments into a sort of narrative collage.

This is a collection that is so timely it might be a bit difficult for some readers to stomach, but I think that’s a testament to Alyan’s creative capabilities. There are so many lines throughout the book that will stop readers in their tracks, and I think one of the best things a poem can do is create that kind of friction. Early in the book, in “The speaker wants to know about fashion," we read,

"Please. I’d rather be alive than holy."

It’s the kind of sentiment and directness seen in each of the book’s highs, and it showcases how Alyan’s greatest strength is transparency—some of these poems about family and displacement demand that readers stop and sit with them. I also think it shows a self-assuredness by inviting risk—such direct poems can be boring, but these never are.

Because this is a book that deals so much with violence and displacement, it’s to be expected—and perhaps necessary—that it occasionally zooms out in its political scope. These poems, while infrequent, are less immediately memorable because they lose the specificity that makes the rest of the book so strong. I expect these pieces may grow on me with time, though. Likewise, there are a few poems (such as “Dog Person”) that don’t feel quite at home here, even though they are good—it simply feels like they are pieces that the rest of the collection outgrew as it became more focused. I understand the polyvocality at play here, but a few pieces still felt like outliers.

All in all, I think there’s a lot to admire here, and it’s a book I would love to hand to someone who doesn’t “get” poetry. It’s generous towards its readers in a way that is rare.

Beautiful poetry collection. I really wish I had access to a print version as the ebook format looks to be messed up in its formatting. This of course does not reflect or affect the quality of the writing just seems a bit disordered in its arrangement.

The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan

The poets know. I treasured this book of poems. I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
After Iraq Sweidan
Half-Life in Exile
When they Say Pledge Allegiance, I Say
Strike [Air]
Naturalized

This is my 18th book for #23for23

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

On first reading, this covers a lot of subjects that feel deeply personal to the author, but may not be as familiar to the reader. I don't think that's unique in respect to poetry as a genre, but it definitely raises the barrier to entry/understanding. However, Hala Alyan's writing is as gorgeous as ever—I have so many lines underlined to share once the final copies are released. I’m looking forward to going back for a closer reading in its final format, but if I could get “When They Say Pledge Allegiance, I Say” framed, I would. ✨

Thank you to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you to Ecco and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is a collection of beautiful poems looking at the world, place, and conflict and how one stays who they are when there are pressures all around in daily life. Several of the poems have a introductory statement that then breaks into three such as Dubai, Beirut, Manhattan or to kiss, to resurrect, to leave or blue, crickets. a door and brings it back together with a closing statement. This was an interesting experience as if being in three places at once. It is filled with memory, and loss and resilience, tenacity and love that brings one back into themselves. As stated in the description of the book, the author asks, What stops you from transforming into someone or something else. When you have lived a life in flux, how do you find rest?

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A standout collection of poems! This is my first time reading Hala Alyan’s writing, but it’s easy to see her experience with her craft. There’s a fluidity to which she adopts different styles & structures to fit her words, and I never felt bored while navigating through the world within this collection. If anything, it felt difficult to narrow down the poems that stood out the most; even choosing from her choose-your-own-adventure style ones took a fair bit of time.

One of the most notable themes across the poems was the legacy, and shadow, of Palestine. This is one of several works I’ve recently read by authors of Palestinian heritage, and it seems to be a common thread throughout many of these stories: the weight of a past & land that was taken, and the enduring connection to individual stories. Alyan interweaves this amidst images of different cities and countries, parts of her present life, and her relationships (two of which can be seen across multiple poems, tying the book together into an even more cohesive work).

This collection releases next year on March 12 (thanks to Ecco for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review!). I highly recommend seeking out a copy if you’re also a fan of poetry. My personal favorites were:
-Portrait of the Ex as Eve
-The year is
-Half-Life in Exile
-Sleep Study No. 3
-Interactive Fiction :: Werewolf

This was such a beautiful poetry collection. I loved the interactive poetry throughout. My favorite poem in the collection is "When They Say Pledge Allegiance, I Say".

This was a really impressive expression of grief, family, culture, and deep sadness.
I enjoyed the poetry and the feelings it invoked. Will definitely look into other work by the author.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a really inventive and mind-bending collection that explores themes of family and grief through technology, branching logic, and choose-your-own-path style formats. It's my first Hala Alyan and definitely made me want to check out more of her work!

Absolutely loved the feelings this invoked with grief, trauma, and family. We’re taken through every layer of emotion and shown exactly what it is to feel. It at moments felt like other collections I’ve read but it still kept its own pace.

These collection of poems are about family, emotions, grief, and other things. Showing how life can be different from one country to another. Realizing that nothing can stop anyone from living their life. I want to thank the publishers at Ecco and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read these poems and review them.

Themes of:
Grief, motherhood, miscarriage, memories, past & future, ancestors and where they came from
What it’s like to feel young, to feel nothing, to feel sad, to feel everything
It’s about life that is and life that could have been.

Beautiful, dreamy & heartbreaking

Some of the formatting is funky on kindle, so I read on NetGalley app