TRUCE

by Prudence Brooks

TRUCE is more than just a poetry collection about the poet’s marriage, from her first date with her husband to the present day. TRUCE dives into the slime and muck of love, including the dreaded conversation that every couple wants to jealousy. But more than that, it is a reckoning with the poet’s notions of attachment and trust while existing in a traumatized, disabled body. Ultimately, TRUCE is a poetry collection about neglect, intimacy, resentment, and repair.

Genres: Poetry

81 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2025

Reviews

[Amber Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most achingly raw and honest collection of poetry I have ever read, and I want to read it over and over and over again. I want to take it with me everywhere I go. These are some of my favorite pieces of poetry - ever.

This collection is truly so special. It cracked me open and salved the wound at the same time.

I knew it before but reading this collection just solidified it for me - Prudence is one of my all time favorite poets and I will devour everything she writes.

[Cat Speranzini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prudence Brooks has never shied away from the truth. Her poetry is unabashedly honest, raw, and thought provoking. She never fails to deliver hard hitting poetry that tugs at your heartstrings. Her debut collection, “Truce,” is no exception. This book is full of unique imagery highlighting the unique struggles that come with disability and the strength it takes to be vulnerable.

Brooks will bring you to tears with her extended metaphors and the captivating narrative present throughout her poems. This is a collection I will return to time and time again. Her deep understanding of grief and appreciation for love--and all the struggles that come with it--will astound you. Personal yet universal, “Truce” is a must have for any poetry lover.

[Carrie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant, profound collection of work that is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings more than once. The imagery is evocative and enticing, making sure the reader stays present and focused on absorbing every possible detail.

This is a poetry collection that requires multiple readings to fully digest. I cannot recommend enough.

See more of the author's work on Instagram at @prudence.writes.

[Holly Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Show-stopping. Fantastic. Unique. Never been done before ✨⭐ 💫

Okay but in all seriousness, Prudence is a voice of her generation. Her poetry is ephemeral and so visceral, it's like you're there with her experiencing each poem with all five senses. Her use of imagery is incredible and I craved the next poem before I was done reading the last one.

I'm so proud of you Prudence, and I can't wait for your next collection ❤️

[tea frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I have to sacrifice a bit of my dignity in order to tell the full story.”
from the first poem Prudence pulls you in with the vulnerable, deliberate, and honest accounts of navigating love while being ill, and the messiness of being human. simultaneously delicate and painful- this is a contemporary collection on the never-ending journey of growing into yourself, and accepting the difficulties and beauty of your own experiences.
always in awe of their words, a wonderful debut✨

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prudence Brooks’ TRUCE is a gut punch of a debut poetry collection that opens like a bandaid ripped off the poet’s wounds and gulps a little more oxygen with every poem. The experiences of disability, toxic relationships, modern love (“…largely I am content scrubbing the drain / with a long-handled brush”), a poet’s need to write (with all the gritty details, bounding “out of bed to write a series of poems from the perspective of a dildo”), and anxiety (“I am too much to ponder, / too much to hold”) that Brooks lays out in these poems are detailed and specific yet universally evocative. I particularly appreciate the honesty in the poems about love and marriage.

Brooks’ narrative poems are exquisite and immersive, while extended metaphor poems like “Wife as a ‘To Be Read’ Pile” are so well crafted, you forget there’s even a metaphor. From “dandelion afghans” to “most days feel like waiting / for water to boil” to the writer “hunched in crusty, unwashed underwear at your cluttered desk, greasy hair pulled back in an oversized clip,” each image, metaphor, and literary phrase is meticulously crafted to keep the writing fresh, the reader on their toes, and the speaker honest (because “Happiness is a crocheted beige turtleneck. / It’s itchy and a little embarrassing. / I don’t like to wear it everywhere, / but it’s snug and protective / and it comes in my measurements”).

[Cody Draco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prudence Brooks is a poet I fiercely admire for not only her fluid way with words but also the unapologetic vulnerability she weaves them with. Truce is a masterclass in what makes a writer great, not merely good, and arrived at the perfect moment in time for me to both experience and reflect on the complex intricacies of love during Valentine's weekend. There were gut punching moments after moments where Prudence turned a phrase into something that made her personal experience resonate with what I myself am blindly navigating emotionally. Reading this collection felt like holding hands with a dear friend while prancing both painfully and gleefully through the burning fields of our respective untamed loves. Thank you Prudence, you and your words matter!

[Danielle Coffyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prudence Brooks delivers a breathtaking emotional excavation in Truce, a poetry collection that does not merely explore love but dissects it with unflinching precision. With the deft hand of a poet unafraid of vulnerability, Brooks unravels the intricate layers of intimacy, examining the tender and tumultuous spaces we so often shy away from. Her mastery of language and metaphor transforms each poem into something luminous—at once raw and revelatory. I found myself marking pages, returning to lines that lingered like echoes. Truce is not just a collection to be read, but one to be lived with, returned to, and savored.

[Arcana Poetry · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRUCE is a revelation. With masterful poetic storytelling and unflinching emotion, Brooks navigates the complexities of learning to love and be loved after trauma while questioning what it means for her sense of self. In her fearless vulnerability, she invites the reader into the rawest corners of her experience. Early in the journey, Brooks confesses, "I could explain that I am an unreliable narrator," - a declaration that paradoxically deepens our trust in her every word.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable book of courage and triumph as the author takes you on her journey through her life. She has the ability to describe her thoughts and feelings with honesty and grit. Highly recommend.