Pearl's Descent

by Yan S.J.

40 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2025

Reviews

[Shahd's✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first time someone has ever sent me a book to read and review. That alone made the experience meaningful.🤍

It’s also unlike anything I’ve read before. I’ve never really read poetry in English, or prose written in such a lyrical, poetic style. So at first, it felt unfamiliar and a bit strange. On top of that, English isn’t my most advanced language, so I did struggle at times. But those challenges are completely personal and have nothing to do with the book itself.

In fact, the writing is carefully crafted, and the author’s word choices clearly reflect her talent. I genuinely can’t believe this is her debut. It feels confident and beautifully written. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲; 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. There’s something about the way scenes were painted with language that made them linger.

𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: the cover is absolutely beautiful. The author mentions that it features a painting titled "Girl Arranging Her Hair" by Abbott Handerson Thayer. When I looked it up, I learned that the woman in the painting is the artist’s daughter-in-law. What fascinated me most is how the artist transforms a simple, everyday gesture — a woman raising her arms to arrange her hair — into a poetic and elevated visual moment.
In a way, 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮: ordinary thoughts about life, death, philosophy, and religion are expressed through lyrical language, turning the mundane into something sentimental and almost ethereal. I don’t know whether the author intentionally chose the painting for that reason, but I like to think there’s a connection😂

𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁: If you’re interested in poetic language and reflective, somewhat fragmented thoughts on existence, I would recommend this book. It’s short, underrated, and quietly impactful. You can find the digital copy on the Fable app🤍

[Sereen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully different from the books I usually read., 4,5🌟

I read poetry, I read short stories but reading a kinda relatively long short story in verse was a pioneering experience!

I like how contemplative it is tho it's vague to some extent which makes the text bear different interpretations and I believe the fragmented connections and vagueness mirror life's vagueness itself. Isn't life full of uncertainties?!

I totally adored the cadence of it and all the alliterations that add another haunting layer to the content, also there are some medical words and terminology as if to reflect on the modern awareness of health or maybe the modern obsession we have about such things or how people are insanely concerned about the body way more than the soul or mind?!

this delicate poem has such super ornamental language tho it's modern and this might be a sort of challenge to modern readers who appreciate simplistic poems coz they're easy and fast to consume as if it's a call to pay attention to the beauty of the classic literary legacy. I consider this book a modern classic!

I loved all the metaphors and images and I decided to slow down just to enjoy such things.. the language is challenging and needs patience so it might not catch everyone's attention from the get go.

I'm soooo proud of my amazing talented friend who wrote this picturesque piece of art
reallyyy glad you finally did it!!! 🩷🔥🥹

Here are some quotes that stood out to me and there are much moreee but I don't wanna spoil it:-

1. “The lives of strangers colliding in a clash of confetti and colored yarn strings, cluttered non-covertly, and clumped together forever.”

2. “The way silence draws you to your breath, and it deepens, amplifies, and intensifies, becoming an unbearable choice”

3. “write down the beginning and the beginning before the beginning, then write down the end. And another end. And another end. And another end. There are only so many ways things could go”

4. “The heart is a fragile, haggard thing. A prick of a seed is enough to make it heed and bleed.”

[Victoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect this book to affect me the way it did, It was a really beautiful experience and it left a warm, quiet feeling inside me. Some parts honestly stayed with me after I finished reading, I’d definitely recommend it

[Mohammad Alqudsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful words from a beautiful author 😍

[RS · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Sadeen Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pearl's Descent"is the sort of book one has to read several times to do justice to it. It is rich in imagery, which to me is its major strength. The usage of this element makes it easier for the reader to picture the majority of the scenes, which eventually leads to building an emotional bond with the protagonist and the plot in its entirety. It is distinctive in its theme and style. Most books reduce their readers to passive observers who simply witness characters resolving their conflicts either on their own, or with the help of one another. In contrast, this book defies all odds and makes the role of readers pivotal, in the sense that they contribute to the occurance of the resolution. The reader becomes active through a clever technique used by the writer, again, to create an inseperrable bond between the story and its enjoyer.

Overall it was a delightful read. I could read it forever and still be stunned by the beauty of several lines.

[Rosie Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont know what I expected but it exceeded all those expectations💯💯 I loved it so much