Feb 28

Feb 28 In Springtime

Author: Sarah Blake
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.

Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Lost in the woods with a horse, a mouse, and the ghost of a dead bird, you will discover if you're meant to live

In Sarah Blake's epic poem of survival, we follow a nameless main character lost in the woods. There, they discover the world anew, negotiating their place among the trees and the rain and the animals. Something brought them to the woods that nearly killed them, and they're not sure they want to live through this experience either. But the world surprises them again and again with beauty and intrigue. They come to meet a pregnant horse, a curious mouse, and a dead bird, who is set on haunting them all. Blake examines what makes us human when removed from the human world, what identity means where it is a useless thing, and how loss shapes us. In a stunning setting and with ominous dreams, In Springtime will take you into a magical world without using any magic at all--just the strangeness of the woods.

TL;DR Review

In Springtime is a narrative book of poems that meditates on caregiving, identity, grief, and nature. It’s a quick but moving read, and I enjoyed it very much.

For you if: You like poetry, or you’re looking for an accessible entry into poetry.

Full Review

I loved Sarah Blake’s novels, Naamah and Clean Air, so I was delighted to receive an early copy of her new narrative book of poems, In Springtime. I love the was Blake’s mind works, and she’s a word artist. This was a quick but moving read, and I really enjoyed it.

In Springtime is about an unnamed narrator lost in the woods with a dead bird (and its ghost), a small mouse, and a pregnant horse. Over the course of four days, we get a meditation on caregiving, identity, grief, nature, and more. It’s really quite beautiful. There are a lot of layers here to ruminate on, and I’m sure I only barely scratched the surface of them myself. I’m going to have to reread for sure.

One of the best parts of this book, in my opinion, is that it has plenty for people who love poetry and read a lot of it, but also for people who have very little experience with poetry. The narrative, plot-like structure draws you in and really lets you settle into the rhythm of it all.

If you like poetry — or you’re looking for an accessible entry into reading more poetry — pick this one up!