Your Body is an Ocean: Love and Other Experiments

by Nikita Gill, David Gauthier (Foreword)

Write a story, sing a song, pen a poem, sing along. The number thirty three is as intriguing as twenty three, if you set your mind to it.

Nikita Gill offers thirty three stories in the form of almost poems, almost fairy tales, and some very real people behind them. Love, hate, passion...forget all you have ever known or learned.

This is where your story truly begins.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Romance, Ebooks, 21st Century, Nonfiction, Summer

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2012

About the author

Nikita Gill is a Kashmiri Sikh writer born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and brought up in Gurugram, Haryana in India. In her mid twenties, she immigrated to the South of England and worked as a carer for many years. She enjoys creating paintings, poems, stories, photos, illustrations and other soft, positive things. Her work has appeared in Literary Orphans, Agave Magazine, Gravel Literary Journal, Monkeybicycle, Foliate Oak, MusePiePress, Dying Dahlia Review, The Rising Phoenix Review, Eunoia Review, Corvus Review, After The Pause and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Julie Bettina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came over a pretty poem by Nikita Gill (93% Stardust) on Weheartit, and I Googled the name and found her books on Amazon at a great price.

I didn't know quite what to expect, but what I got was short poems/stories in the form of lists, conversations, and thoughts. Some of it was very poetic, other parts were more teenage drama queen ramblings, and yet other parts were raw and hurtful.

I'm kind of sad that about half of what I read could be taken from a movie based on a high school girl's diary, because the other half really had some potential. I think the length of the book, or rather the shortness, contributed to me feeling more positive than not, and so I ended up donning three stars.

[Sasha Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

sometimes i look at nikita gills books and wonder where they were when i was 16, needed someone and had no idea how to be exactly what i always needed. whether it's through fairytales or dialogue or short fragments. this is what you need. it's what we all need. maybe it's exactly what we need to remind us how powerful we really are.

[Shatha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I wish I could wrap your memories around my spine and wear them as a backbone, because they are stronger than the arch my broken spined back seems to have developed of late."

[Kylie Psaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

“...Oh, and he should like cinnamon.” “...” “In the mean time, I’m putting more cinnamon in my tea.”

This short collection is the first one I've read by Nikita Gill and I enjoyed it. I found it relatable and sincere too.

"Jenna hated Tinkerbell. She hated her because she had wings and she could fly whereas Jenna stayed on the ground, catching fireflies. /"

[Serenity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found a lot of these really hard to understand, but all the same, I wish I could find a physical copy of this so I could complete my Nikita Gill collection!

[Maya Amlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"That's the thing with being in wonderland. It never really likes to acknowledge its own existence."

Not a collection of poetry like I expected it to be, Your Body is an Ocean: Love and Other Experiments is actually a collection of short stories, lists and dialogues and what not. And I have to admit, for a first book, it is actually a very decent attempt. (I can't write for crap but I know I can appreciate art.) The characters in these snippets are far too similar, making me think of half of this book as the ramblings of a teenage drama queen, which, as I've come to understand, is the same time from when Gill wrote these pieces, that is, from what I've come to learn recently, these stories were written by a teenager. I don't like calling them poetry even though some of them ring very poetically and are very pretty. It just feels far too much like someone's private diary for me to call them that. A poetic diary that I wish I had the potential to write; because really, I mean it when I say that some of this is so beautiful and raw that I simply fell in love. (And to think that it was a teenager who wrote all of this....well, that just makes me wonder what I'm doing with my own life.)

"I wish I could wrap your memories around my spine and wear them as a backbone, because they are stronger than the arch my broken spined back seems to have developed of late."

The book features a variety of different themes ranging from self-love, mental illness (can we call this a theme?), love and heartbreak and just about everything one can think of. The metaphors used in each of these pieces are so mesmerizing, so captivating and just so raw. I'm not saying that this is all beauty, because it's not. It does feel kind of all over the place sometimes but then, that also seems to be the best part of it. While reading it, I could see through it the words of the poet I fell in love with a couple of years ago (the first time I read Wild Embers which I believe to be her best collection so far) and yet, I could not see her at all. And that is completely alright because hey, everyone has to start somewhere and Gill chose 2012.

"If I could give you all my blood so you could feel better for just a day, I would."

If I had to use one word to describe this book, I'd choose "interesting". Yep, this book is an interesting collection. And I call it that because all through its course, it gets sad and also hopeful and I think that's one of the things that makes it so beautiful for me. To sum up though, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who's just starting out with Gill's works because it kind of falls apart in front of her more recent books but if you've read enough of her works then you'll come to appreciate this one with its strikingly mesmerizing metaphors and it's shortness of breath, and know that that is what makes me give it a 4-star rating. So perhaps, worth a read anyhow.

"I think you're deep and fragile and broken and that makes you beautiful."

[Update: 07/December/2020
I wrote in this review that Wild Embers is her best collection so far. I take that back. Having just finished Fierce Fairytales, I believe that one to be the best!]

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm kind of disappointed but maybe it's because is really short but there were parts I really like.

[Ghazaal B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected much more and am sorta disappointed. Maybe her next books will be more satisfying.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know Nikita Gill. Even if you don't read poetry, you know her. Her poems are frequently used on Tumblr and Pinterest as text over posts for any fandom you can think of.

Your Body is an Ocean is Gill's first collection (now only available digitally on websites like Smashword), and moments of brilliance shine through. You can see the poet she will become in some of these verses. However, in 2012, Gill is not quite the poet she will be yet. Many of these verses are clunky and stilted. I particularly felt like the conversation poems were cliche and overwrought. I also recognized a couple of lines that Gill recycled into other poems in her next two collections.

Like I said, there are moments of brilliance in this collection. Gill experiments with the fairytale retellings she does so successfully in other collections, and a few of the poems are genuinely good. Wild Embers remains her best collection to date, but Your Body Is an Ocean is interesting at the very least. I would not recommend it to start reading Gill, but if you like her work it's worth checking out.

[Mi Universo Literario Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikita Gill es una poeta que realmente adoro, y no sé cómo es que no conocía este poemario suyo. ¡Qué bueno que encontré este libro! Your Body is an Ocean podría (o no) ser llamado un poemario, pero yo prefiero clasificarlo como una expresión artística amorfa que suena como poesía. No sé, este libro es algo sumamente peculiar, y sin duda posee una estructura que deja dudas en la mente de quien lee. El trabajo de Gill en esta entrega me pareció sumamente hermoso, y es algo que llevo conmigo y me endulza el alma saber que lo he leído. ¡Qué belleza!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

La mayoría de las secciones estaban escritas de forma hermosa y hechizante, me hacían sentir entendida y validada. Sin embargo, toda la parte de los diálogos parecía sacada de un fanfic de wattpad del 2013 y daba mucho cringe.

[Lovelene Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this as a unique approach of writing poetry. I like it

[Cassandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nikita Gill tiene poemarios mucho mejores. Lo mejor la magia que crea con las palabras.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really interesting to read some her first works. To see how much she’s grown as a poet has been lovely. This was a different style for sure but I love how she’s found her voice and flourished.

[Ruqayyah Musa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as poems goes. You win my heart dear Nikita! I saw myself in pages of your book

[Ammarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was disappointing but I think it's a proof that her skills have improved so much since this book came out.

[MyOwnBookAdventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one of Nikita Gill's older works, let me start with saying that it is obviously not as good as some of her newer works (Shocking! Who knew people's works and skills grow with experience in craft and life? I know!!)

Still, this was at times very well written. Overall I particularly liked the 'Conversations by Ten' part. The idea of pure dialogue stories was entertaining and very creative. It was also a great way to add a little dry humor to stories that often carried a heavier undertone.

Other reviews already pointed this out, but I think 'Your Body Is An Ocean' is a really nice way for fans of Gill to see her growth. There's a lot of little hints as to how she as a poet and storyteller will grow, finding her own style and voice as she goes.
Therefor I recommend picking this one up if you like her work and want a little extra storytelling, as well as seeing how she grew as a writer.


Some written-down thoughts while reading
<\b>
Omg 'Inside Out' might be one of favorite poems of Nikita Gill just yet❤️

Also 'Issues' is magic too

Okay all of 'Conversations by ten" is downright amazing and hilariously written.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poetry and lists aren't two things that go hand in hand. If you're aiming for poetry, stick to that with one book. Lists and other things, publish a separate one.

The conversation pieces were okay. The thought pieces were okay. So few pieces were poetic and I believe this might be because the focus wasn't all on the poetry in this collection. Some parts felt like I was reading a teenager's diary and completely missed the relevance mark. There were fairytale themes used to inspire the poetry but didn't feel original, or maybe I've read too many collections with the same ideas that anything new read feels exactly the same. I also couldn't overlook the repetitiveness and for such a short collection, this felt like a bit of a waste of time for me.

Read more here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Aishwariya Laxmi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I keep coming across snippets by Nikita Gill in various Facebook groups. They are used as posters that say something inspiring or help you think about a loved one in a certain way. Those snippets help you think about your life and where you are going. Frankly, that's the reason I picked up this book... only to be disappointed.

These are neither poems nor stories. They sound like conversations she has had with different boys in her life at different stages. They are not particularly insightful or interesting or even particularly creative.

I'm usually extremely non- judgemental about what I read, but I really dont know how to categorize this book. I finished it in around 40 minutes and was completely underwhelmed.

[Julia Benassi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've made books my lovers, hours my enemies and you the only story.
.
.
It was okay, but just that. I loved that the book is composed by short stories and each of them is written in a different style, but the stories could have been more than they were, and sometimes it was like repetitive? sI don't know, I liked it, but no so much.

[Alex Kogay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gets sad and at the same time hopeful in the end and that's what makes it so beautiful and true. Loved every word of it.

[Melissa Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's beautiful.

[Sababa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

She is an amazing poet. I loved the conversations more than the rest. It was so simply written. I could see the humor, the hurt and love in those conversations. Great read!

[Thiago Nasi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that's it. Not much to say about it.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting more from her. Will check out her other books and see if it's worth it or not.

[Nilanjana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's her earlier work and it shows.

[Paulina Postscriptum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute and every word of this book... A book full of stories, feelings and thoughts that made me laugh and cry and think a lot. Stories that will stay with me for a long time... Nikita Gill writes, in short and yet poignant form, about the little things, the details that make up human relationship, feelings of self-worth and self-consciousness, abuse and neglect and how people live through all of it. She tells stories of deeply felt pain and hope at the same time. I loved how she brings onto paper what so many people in pain (or in difficult situations) must be feeling each and every day. How she touches the core of her reader with stories that are so short and yet, to say it with her own words, such "sharp, painful object[s], made of something stronger than granite"...

And I love how, despite all the pain conveyed through the letters wirtten on those pages, she does not leave one broken and in despair, but uses all of that to carefully and almost invisibly nourish a hope that does not ignore or simply gloss over the bad and the pain, but uses it and turns it around, to become stronger. Not inspite of the pain, but because of it...


One of the best books I have read in a very long time.

[Xheneta · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I am the girl who spends hours huddled in a corner of a library, trying to find what you love the most about Marlowe, just so I can write you a poem worthy of Shakespeare. I've made books my lovers, hours my enemies and you the only story.”

I don't wanna use the word ''disappointed'' because I have read other works by her and I am in love with them. The thing with this one is that it wasn't anything special, but considering the fact that this was made of crumbs of bread as she calls them, of thoughts that occurred to her and that she wrote down. It is basically what most of us would write in a diary or a journal, mostly personal things like important dates, numbers or events. It just wasn't anything special or worth reading as a book.

[Tanish Jena · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a part of me which sees and understands the poetry in this book and then there's another part of me which simply cannot take these ramblings about osteoporosis (I guess she's talking about this?) and connecting them all to a guy in the end. I mean,

The thing with bones are, they are on the inside of you and they grow in whatever direction they want. You do not have a say on it. Just like I didn’t have a say when I fell in love with you. You began to grow inside, quite like another, more twisted, less straight spine.

I mean, okaaaaay.