Abnormal Brain Sonnets

by David W. McFadden

In James Whale's 1931 film Frankenstein, the doctors clumsy assistant, Fritz, reaches for the jar marked "Normal Brain." When he drops that one, he turns to the jar marked "Abnormal Brain." In Abnormal Brain Sonnets, Griffin Prize-winning poet David W. McFadden, now in his sixth decade of writing, reaches once again for the jar labelled "Sonnets" to probe the world around him and the world within him. With humour and poignancy, and a gently philosophical voice, McFadden reaches into his own past to rescue the images and formative influences that have guided his life and thought. He touches, too, on his own diminishing memory and struggle with language resulting from the onset of logopenic aphasia. This lively, unpredictable collection of sonnets concludes with a 2005 author interview by friend and editor Stuart Ross that explores McFadden's writing life and the role of the poet.

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

David William McFadden was a Canadian poet, fiction writer, and travel writer. The author of 35 books of poetry, fiction and travel writing, McFadden started publishing poetry in 1958 and has been previously shortlisted for the 2008 Griffin Poetry Prize, as well as for three Governor General's Awards. He won the 2013 Griffin Poetry Prize for his collection What's the Score?

Reviews

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is David McFadden's final book, written after his diagnosis of logopenic aphasia and after he'd won the Griffin Poetry Prize. The title, taken from a 1931 film about Frankenstein, applies to the poet. Quite a few of the poems express his grief over the death of his elder daughter. The poems range from the frivolous to the profound, sometimes in a single sonnet. Brain-damaged though he may have been, McFadden was at the height of his poetic powers. Take Number 33 "Sentimentalistics": "I wandered through the Forget of Veilfulness / Where salmon on Dexedrine practise their scales / And waterfalls embarrass Viagra patients."

[Christine Varga · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very difficult to critique poetry,* but as far as I can tell, David McFadden has all his bases covered. He knows his craft well. Abnormal Brain Sonnets is a collection of exactly what it sounds like− sonnets coming from his abnormal brain. These are well constructed poems centered on thoughts and memories from his past. Some of the subject matter is contemplative, some funny and some gloomy or even off-putting. McFadden stays true to himself and isn’t worried about causing offense. [Insert memories of fondness for a childhood teacher here].

Based on the description, I originally expected the collection to become a fairly linear storyline of thoughts and feelings throughout the poet’s life, but that is not what I experienced. The book is divided into three sections, each very different, and an interview with McFadden (unrelated to this collection) is attached at the end, but I don’t think it added a great deal of value. The work stands strongly without that added support, and the interview was a bit too congratulatory for my liking.

I would recommend this to poetry appreciators looking to try something a little different. Believe me, it’s different. I have to say not all of the subject matter was to my exact taste. However, this collection deserves credit for its blending of depth and whimsicalness and credit is also due for McFadden’s writing and its deviation from the norm.

*I received and am reviewing this book through Goodreads First Reads program.