The Homesick Mortician

by Peter Mladinic

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2024

Reviews

[Tina Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems in Peter Mladinic's The Homesick Mortician restlessly probe. Beneath each piece, there's the "why" that perplexes the poet. In "How Amazing," Mladinic, an animal rights advocate, asks why we can't see the value of animals. And in his most harrowing poem "Light and Dark," he shows the reader how power can be both a gift and a crime. Even in Mladinic's persona poems, written in the voices of people who have committed heinous acts, one finds deep compassion. This is the book to read when you need a partner in outrage, and when your heart needs healing.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete’s poetry book The Homesick Mortician was a feast of images, twists and turns, of stark details of daily life, and sudden descents into hell and back… or not back, just lingering there.

A few notable poems among many are “Hunger and Lust,” “Iron,” “Dementia,” “Johnstown Flood,” and “Shannon.”

Last year, I read The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough and embraced the sad reminders in this powerful poem.

Highly recommended!