Fiercely self-aware and “utterly present tense,” Traci Brimhall’s Love Prodigal lives in the messiness of starting over. As Brimhall grieves a divorce and a new diagnosis, cycles of loss, heartbreak, family trauma, and chronic illness appear. There is an urge to detach, to go numb. Yet, pain is always returned as a gift—the beautiful vulnerability of feeling. In conversation with Da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Bachelard, images of the phoenix appear throughout the collection; its metaphor promises an easy and endless cycle of rebirth—a forever life, forever alone. Brimhall rejects this idea, instead reaching for the slow, messy, and imperfect process of healing.
ISBN: 9781556597022
Format: Paperback
Reviews
“An intense flow of loose-limbed, vividly imagined, and deeply felt poems. . . . Brimhall addresses life’s everyday suffering in astonishing language that will attract a wide range of readers. Highly recommended.”—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal, STARRED review