Numinous Stones

Enjoyed this short poetry book from Holly Lyn Walrath. The poems were sad, but very good. Will stick with me for some time. #NuminousStones #NetGalley

Luminous Stones gives us a deep dive into Walrath's mind, and what we find there is gorgeous. Utilizing the unique pantoum style gives this volume its own personality, and the way the author spins this format is a wonder to behold, even as the style does wear out its welcome by the end of the work. The imagery and storytelling within each poem are startling, especially as with the repeated lines she has very few words to tell each of these flash stories, but so many left me with chills up my spine. It's not a work for everyone, but it's a thrill for the right audience.

Numinous Stones is a slim poetry volume about death and grief. Walrath states the desire to “place her life into a metaphor” through a “thin veil of ghosts, monsters, and planets.” She’s an established writer of short fiction and poetry, with her works appearing in major magazines such as Analog and Strange Horizons. She writes in a modern pantoum format, where lines are repeated in patterns. The word “numinous” is defined as “having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity.”

Walrath’s poetry radiates with a depth of melancholy that constantly pushes toward something transcendent. As she grieves her father, she has a vision where “in the dream world he could speak and he was crying out.” This dreamlike collection is encapsulated in that image—like Walrath herself is calling out into a strange and unknown land and trying to speak it into existence.

What initially feels like metaphorical distancing of the self from grief quickly propels into a contemplation of the divine. “I have a sordid affair with death.” The paradox of death is built and hammered into the lines, as if our contemplation of death somehow suggests a kind of immortality. The pantoum format works well, making each work feel at once surreal, emphatic, and timeless. Walrath manages to address the topic of death directly and yet without sinking into any cliche or oversentimentality. She seems to take an unflinching look at death and come away saying, “isn’t it strange and terrifying, and aren’t we beautiful?”

Numinous StonesPoems by Holly Lyn Walrath.
a haunting collection of poetry about grief and the sacred that digs deep beyond a fairytale world into the grave. 
I did enjoy these poems. So.e were dark. 4*.

A surreal journey down a path of fancy, fear … so many emotions along the way. I am not a huge poetry fan, but I found myself moved beyond expectation at emotions I felt while reading Numinous Stones by Holly Lyn Walrath. Whatever our relationship with life, death, grief and all that goes with it, this is an amazing short read.

I was given this book in exchange for an o way review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Numinous Stones by Holly Lyn Walrath in exchange for an honest review. This was a beautiful book of poetry that deals with grief and loss. Was a good read since the one year anniversary of my mom's death.

Walrath's newest chapbook is a collection of pantoums about grief and ghosts, monsters and loss, and love and death. While the repetitive form of the pantoum becomes tiring if you read straight through, the organization of poems makes it easy to read a bit here and a bit there and thus appreciate the enormous creativity and work these poems represent. The poems are original and clever and often beautiful, a masterclass in resilience and in release. Highly recommended, especially for poets and poets-becoming.

A short collection of poems of death and grief, with a constant style. A few poems as the book reached the end truly hit hard and I'm still thinking about them.
3.5 stars.