This poetry collection was very heavy I. The small amount of pages that it was. You could feel the author screaming g in pain through their words. The pain they went through their whole life hard and absolutely gut wrenching.

Despite being a short collection of poems, Burning of absence is a powerful message whose words and prose convey impactful images. The collection explores the themes of grief, violence, pain, loneliness, belonging and Jessica Thiru mixes their own experience with thoughts about feminicide and violence, giving the reader a lot to think and reflect.

This entire collection is contemporary and brimming with grief and terror, generational and contemporary, and the ways violence can be enacted on a soul.

Thanks for the ARC.

Burning of Absence is a hauntingly beautiful poetry collection that weaves grief, memory, loneliness, and culture into striking, lyrical prose. The poet’s voice is intimate and evocative—I often found myself stepping into her world, feeling the weight of her loss, the silence of solitude, and the quiet strength of remembrance. Each poem felt like a window into a personal moment, yet somehow universally relatable. A powerful, emotional read that stays with you long after the last page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Described as exploring a vast insoluble loneliness what struck me most was how I could relate to some of the life's experiences shared here- there were instances I could picture the seven year old me, the sixteen year old me, the twenty one year old me and versions of my Mother, Aunts, and even Grandmother- their struggles, pains and how much mediocrity and insults they accepted all in the name of keeping the peace.

Like in 'My Damned Prediction,' she can definitely see all these, the burden that has been passed on from one generation to the next. In 'Darkness runs, bare boned,' speaking of the violence meted against women:
There is nothing that you can do that will satiate a man's hunger, I promise you. Believe me I'm telling you the truth. I come from a long line of women whose skin became a casket once a man touched them.

In 'Portrait of girlhood as a door to godhood,' she shares a question that I did ask once, 'why not choose forgiveness over violence?' and I asked 'which one came first?'
Towards the end of the collection you also get to meet a young girl who yearns to be seen, loved and listened to in 'Abandoned letters or confessions since college.'

This was a great way to start my day and a subtle reminder that what's written can still speak louder. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

The beautiful prose touches on themes of grief, pain, loneliness, and violence. Thiru’s writing conveys imagery and emotion. While drawing on her own experiences, there is a theme of strife and identity in society and families that is relatable. I particularly enjoyed Abandoned letters or confessions since college.

Thank you to Querencia Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC. This is an honest review and all opinions in it are my own.

This is an in-depth review, going through the style of poetry and why I enjoyed it so much, so beware if you wish to know *nothing at all* about it before you read (tho I do not spoil any individual poems, twists or turns, nor are there quotes included).

Burning Of Absence explores grief in a thoughtful and striking way, but not just personal grief or grief of death. This poetry chapbook holds grief for a freer life, a different and kinder world for women and girls alike. Loss is depicted, yes, but also loss which hasn't happened yet. Imminent loss. Inevitable loss, or even preemptive, such as grief for a positive relationship with a parent that never had the ability to form.

It’s a short chapbook, with only 13 poems (I hope I counted right lol). Still it managed to move me and ensnare me, with its lush descriptions, refreshing and memorable metaphors, and recurring vivid imagery, often of fire or burning, sin, holiness, ghosts, graves. Much talk of bodies, and dissociating.

Thiru has a lovely turn of phrase, uses very strong sensory words, and I felt I was really there, in the room or on the end of that phonecall. I personally felt it was poignant, and it struck a chord with me. I whizzed through it, too, and never got caught or had to reread specifically for clarity.

My favorite collections and poems are those with a canon, a throughline, a cast of characters, someone to cling to or root for, a common place or time. I absolutely felt that here. The recurring imagery, of course, but also voices which felt the same, and stories/characters (whether or not possibly the personal anecdotes referenced in the description) which seemed to come back, again and again.

For me, the strongest poem was absolutely the first, and I felt putting it first was a really good decision. It set expectations for style, form and content, and the collection lived up to them. And even though this one felt fairly representative, Thiru still was not afraid to play with form and adapt it to the content and meaning of every single poem. I say it’s always nice to see a poem in list-form, or one that uses line breaks to create a certain flow, rhythm, and emphasis.

There were two or three poems where I felt like the lines were a bit more … thrown together, haphazard, disjointed, and I couldn't fully follow the throughline – as the imagery perhaps felt a little out of place, or the grammar was off for no discernable reason, or a line break didn’t emphasize the word I thought I was meant to glean meaning from – even if it had a strong start and strong finish. But it didn’t massively bother me. Those specific poems just didn’t end up being my personal favourites, the collection overall is still a strong 5 star for me!

I’d recommend this chapbook to people who, like me, enjoyed Roger Robinson’s A Portable Paradise, for its similar holy imagery and deconstruction of grief. Also to fans of Warsan Shire (of course) and Mona Arshi, for Thiru’s lush style is like theirs, and the ability to tell a story, as well as the feminist message and themes, which I loved here.

The cover reminds me a bit of Koleka Putuma’s Collective Amnesia. Still, it felt unique and I think it’s absolutely stunning. The grainy home video style invokes some real childhood nostalgia, and with the covered face I think of remembering someone who is no longer here, or perhaps never was close in the first place. It really sets the tone before you even open the book.

I’ll definitely pick this up when it gets a physical release! Probably won’t wait too patiently though lol

This review is also posted to goodreads, but I will update it – closer to the publishing date Sep 26 – with quotes and more in-depth notes. On the publishing date I will also upload a shorter review to instagram, with pictures and highlights.

While this is a short collection of poetry, it definitely packs a punch. I had to put my iPad down a few times just to marvel at how much the words resonated with me.

Topic covered include abuse, SA, neglect, relationships, and belonging.

My favorite poem was “Abandoned Letters or Confessions Since College.”

Noteworthy quotes:

“I'm sorry that you've had to prepare yourself for a battle that should never take place.
That you've had to fear not being fearful because not fearing the fear you're supposed to feel is asking for it.”

“Someone once asked me,
"Why not choose forgiveness over violence?"
I asked, "Which one came first?"”

I’d recommend.