For This and Other Cruelties

by Youna Kwak

The shadow of mothering has never been given a richer, fuller, more debased vision than in Youna Kwak’s For This and Other Cruelties. Kwak casts a cold eye on the splendid and cruel intransigence of maternal paradoxes in all their impossible double binds, monstrous pleasures, and profane mystifications. Shifting between lyric and prose poems, this collection throws slanted light on the ineffability of our deepest attachments, envisioning a world where mother is “a creature whose only enemy could be human.” Kwak brings us face to face with the irreconcilable facts of being mother, mothered, and alive.

Genres: Poetry

114 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 2025

Reviews

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection, Kwak explores motherhood in all its forms: where it begins, how we embody it, and what it means both to mother and to be mothered. Yet, there also a lot more to unpack here!

This is a collection that will resonate deeply with many readers, especially women, as it captures that timeless tension between mothers and daughters; the constant push and pull that both binds and separates us. Yet, Kwak’s lens is broader than that. She examines family as a whole: what defines it, how we interact within it, and how those dynamics are shaped by our parents and the environments they create. Added to this, she also confronts her family’s intergenerational conflicts, rooted in the aftermath of the Korean War, and how this history continues to shape concepts of motherhood and family across generations.

Some of these poems struck me with real emotional force, while others left me puzzled by their symbolism or intent. The language grows increasingly metaphorical, and the structures more experimental, as the collection progresses. This was an intriguing shift, though occasionally uneven which may be due to editing. Still, there are a lot of poems that stuck out to me as exceptionally well done. Kwak succeeds in identifying the essence of motherhood's tenderness, contradictions, and inherited wounds across a range of contexts and experiences. I’d recommend this collection to readers who are really drawn to poetry that delves into family, memory, and the emotional complexities of intergenerational stories told in imaginative ways.

Thank you to the publisher, University Of Iowa Press, for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed within this review are my own!

[Taylor Franson-Thiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this. Weird energy. Interesting use of repetition.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youna’s first segment of her poetry and verse starts with strong about mothers and mothering. The imagery is bold and concrete. I loved the play with diction in this segment. This gave me high hopes for the rest of the collection. What fell flat for me is the lack of rhythm in the future verses and segments. I feel like it flows but not lyrically – much more like a very brief story. Conversations about bad mothers and dealing with social pressures were great – but the way the content was approached did not grab me like I had hoped.

               What keeps this poetry collection at three stars is that Youna is not afraid to dabble with experimental forms. As the poetry progresses and gets less rhythmic – the forms become more experimental. The words are arranged in many ways that reads as a list, they read quickly, but that makes them interesting. I wish more of the poetry in the collection was experimental in this way. It was fresh air throughout the collection that fell partially stagnant. Thank you Netgalley and the University of Iowa Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh, I liked this. I mean, leaving my problems with motherhood and mothers, I found so much of the writing to hit the nail on the head, which in poetry, I think, is one of the best feelings and when I feel a poem is worthwhile. Some of the more experimental styles were difficult for me to really get into, but that's because I'm simply an idiot, and shouldn't fault the poet for the internet giving the power to randomly comment on their work in a role of unprecedented self-flagellation we now allow due to rapid globalization, ever-shrinking attention spans, and the concept that someone else's opinion of a book will sink or soar it.

Thanks for the ARC and space to have an existential meltdown. xoxo.

[Seher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this.

Honestly, an interesting collection. I'd be open to reading more by this poet. My favourite ones are Mother, About Suffering, Autobiography, and, The Reality Effect,