Ghost Hometowns

by Giada Nizzoli

Steeped in nostalgia and memorable imagery, Ghost Hometowns will take you from sunny but decadent Italian landscapes to the cold streets of London, full of unseizable possibilities. This poetry book explores the disorienting feeling of not knowing where you belong. Written from a migrant's perspective, it's a doomed quest for a home in your birth country, abroad, and even with family sharing opposite views. Let it guide you through your own, unescapable journey!

Genres: Poetry

60 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2023

About the author

Writer & poet living like a quirky character

Reviews

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I judged a book by it's cover and it worked out for me. I saw this recently released book as an ARC to review and immediately wanted it. Thank you to Querencia Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is a short book of poems filled with nostalgia for the lush, warmth of Italy while creating a new home as an immigrant in the coldness of London. Why would one leave home? What is to be found elsewhere? The answers are very relatable, and as much of an outsider one might feel as an immigrant, we often realize the new home we've created for ourselves is truly worth it. I enjoyed this book and will definitely be needing to have a physical copy on hand.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ghost Hometowns, Nizzoli personifies the places that have been ‘home’ and in doing so questions the very meaning of home. The relationships depicted between people and their environments as a result of this personification reveal much about how we are shaped, and I found this incredibly relatable. Not because I too have emigrated or travelled to multiple countries, but because I have had many homes in places and people too.

So, while Nizzoli’s collection is very specific to the poet’s experience, the pieces themselves, the nostalgia, emotions and questions they raise, go beyond this. I found many reflections in Nizzoli’s treatment on returning to family, particularly as an adult, returning to a place in a different mindset, and finding the feeling of belonging fleeting, no matter how often we are told how to find it.

Ghost Hometowns at its heart is a treatment of the impact place and what lives within it, has on us, in both our formative years and when we return with experience, perhaps trauma, and wisdom. Nizzoli has captured belonging in a way that feels honest, as a kaleidoscope rather than as something wholly tangible.

[Daniel Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little pamphlet of poems touching on nostalgia, hometowns, living abroad, and the feeling of not belonging. As an American, I was amused by the description of an "American" diner in Italy in one of the poems.

[Ellie Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful, evocative poetry anthology that's steeped in both dreamy nostalgia and harsh reality in equal parts. Although I live in the country I was born in, the book was still full of relatable moments and emotions that I'm sure everyone will experience or relate to at some time in their lives. Many of the poems are wistful and heartbreaking but Nizzoli's poetry brings the reader plenty of dry and scornful humour too.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book from start to finish and can't wait to dissect the poems more when I read it for a second time.

[Royally Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection focuses on what it's like to be a migrant, searching for home. It has themes of family, disillusions of family, sense of place, and personal identity.

If you're a sucker for stories and reflections about generational trauma like I'm finding I am...this might be a good poetry read for you.

See full review on: Instagram @therealworldaccordingtosam

[Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understood the author's dilemma, but felt it came from a quite privileged perspective, which made it a little annoying to read at times. The poetry was a little simplistic, but I can see a lot of potential, with a good editor and some willingness to cut out the filler words and cliches.