Whirlwind

by Sharon Dolin

Whirlwind is one woman’s frank, witty, mordant, sexy look at the breakup of a marriage and its emotional aftermath. With her characteristic linguistic play and mixture of poetic registers and styles, Sharon Dolin takes her readers on an off-the-tracks emotional ride through the whirlwind that goes by the name of divorce. Hang on tight. Here poems are never merely confessional, but use formal aplomb to ride the white-heat rage, hurt, denial, reflection, regret, wistfulness, desire, and sexual passion as they go hurtling through the many stages of grief after the death of a relationship and the rebirth of a more vital self. Dolin tackles difficult subjects unflinchingly in her such as betrayal and the shame of the one being betrayed, being a parent within a volatile breakup, as well as some startling poems on the reawakening of sexuality and an attention to the natural world and politics. In her poem that won a Pushcart Prize, she dons the mask of the Furies to confront her ex-husband and his lover. A journalist of her own heart, Sharon Dolin has written a brazen collection that seethes with the pressure of a story to cathartic and thrilling in equal measure.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2012

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit that I initially rolled my eyes when I saw that one of the poems was called “Ode to My Vajayjay” (I can’t take anyone seriously who uses that term, and I hate when people talk about their genitals and that sort of thing), but overall, the poems I disliked (mostly confusing, vague, experimental stuff) were few and far between, with the ones I did like in the majority. An uneven, but ultimately enjoyable collection.