Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This is a collection that you have to read and sit with and reread, reread again, and read out loud. Rahmé's style is, well, mercurial. Each poem is liquid to the point I wasn't sure I was able to hold onto anything, but man, when Rahmé hits, she hits. "Good Sex Under Capitalism Does Not Exist" and "A New Machine" are real stand-outs in this collection. The tight columns and sharp enjambments give the reader plenty of white space to digest these compelling poems.

I really liked Rachelle’s poems. They were different from what I am used to read, and though that made it a little bit harder connecting with the author’s vision, as soon as I did I really enjoyed reading them.

A strong debut collection. Rachelle Rahmé sure knows her craft and how to entice a reader.

I enjoyed her liberal structure and use of language tremendously, but note that if you prefer more a more traditional style of poetry, this might not be your cup of tea. Admittedley, I wasn't immediately drawn in, but in my humble opinion the poems got a lot stronger after a few pages and truly hit the sweet spot about half-way through. Rahmé touches on a broad range of themes that sometimes creep up on you and blends them together in fascinating ways that emplore the reader to truly sit and ravel with the poem in front of them; take it apart, taste it, then read it again (and again).
My favourites in this were "What the Rich Eat" and "Good Sex Under Capitalism Does Not Exist".

Most remarkable is Rahmé's ability to transform theoretical complexity into lyrical movement. Drawing from her scholarly interest in "collaborative liberation methodologies," she creates a poetic voice that doesn't merely describe philosophical concepts but enacts them through linguistic practice. The resulting poetry exists in "fractal" relationship to fixed meaning, creating a voice perpetually in process rather than arriving at conclusion.

There were a handful of poems in this collection that I found absolutely fantastic, and a couple that did not stick out as particularly memorable. The titular poem and "Platform Briars" were gorgeous, as well as "Have Nothing, Seek Nothing, Realize... Nothing?" and "Lemon my Seaweed," each of with did unique things with language that make me want to roll the words around in my mouth repetitively. I got the impression when reading this that these poems were perhaps the work of an essayist. "Afflictive and Natural Opportunities for Development" and "Radiant Heat" possess an academic quality without requiring reference or condescending via its reference, something I think is comparable to Anne Carson. There are a few instances throughout the collection in which the enjambment seems less than deliberate, and I did not feel the order of the poems left a notable impression beyond me beyond Platform Briars and the titular poem being next to one another. All in all, there are some greatly clever and intelligent poems in here, but they stick out as re-readable among others (With No Song, Apology to Mars) that sort of fade into the background.

There were poems in this collection that I really enjoyed. I liked how one poem bled into the next but had it's on unique subject, and I liked the fact that some of them were self-aware.

Rachelle Rahmé’s Mercurial, or Is That Liberty? is a bold, genre-blurring work that pulses with political urgency and poetic experimentation. Her language is electric, full of sudden turns and sly, cerebral humour, inviting the reader to question the shape of freedom, identity, and resistance in a fractured world. The work teeters between clarity and chaos, sometimes deliberately oblique, but always evocative. Rahmé’s sharp intellect and fearless voice make this a compelling and rewarding read for those willing to dive deep. A storm of a book, equal parts fire and fog.

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Beautifully written and haunting!
War and trauma were subtly thrown into poems until you weren't sure what the stanza stood for until you re-read it multiple times.
Poetry like this should be required reading for high school and college students to analyze!