in the absence of the sun

by Emily Curtis

in the absence of the sun is a poetry collection that explores our midnight thoughts--the "nightmares" and "dreams" that haunt us when we are unable to sleep. This collection takes you through a night of insomnia, ruminating on ideas of self-doubt, loss, and hope for the future.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Feminism, Mental Health

114 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2017

Reviews

[Whitney Atkinson]

3.75 stars

i’ve been doing this thing where i try a few pages of poetry and if i dont get captured i stop reading, but this one grabbed me and i read the entire thing in like 10 minutes.

Needless to say, it’s a very concise collection. It’s like a hybrid between salt by nayyirah waheed and the princess saves herself in this one by amanda lovelace. the themes throughout it are about getting out of abusive relationships, insomnia, loneliness, reading, feminism, and empowerment as a human being in general. there was nothing in this that was absolutely revolutionary, and it’s nothing new to any poetry gurus, but it was so quick and nicely flowing that I think it deserves mentioning that I did have a nice reading experience even though I doubt this will end up being too memorable.

[Alexa Weiss]

basic

This book

Reads

Like my tumblr page

Circa 2010.




No but seriously it’s trying a little hard. 20 year old me would have probably gotten a piece from this tattooed on me.

[Bel Rodrigues]

2,5 ⭐️

[McKenna]

I am an avid reader but I am ashamed to say that I have never really seen the draw to poetry. That being said, when I saw a local student wrote this and got it published, I had to pick it up. Reading through this was like enjoying a little dessert here and there throughout my day. I took my time reading through it and I genuinely loved every piece. I finished it over a few months ago now and I still find myself thinking of particular lines. I have it displayed on my shelf as well and frequently pick it up to enjoy it whenever :)

[Ashley Marsh]

I think this new tumblr poetry getting published thing is just not for me. I didn’t find any of this in any way moving or inspiring. In the six minutes it took me to read this I found myself bored to tears, wishing for the end. I would give this one star based on quality, but, as I went into this knowing that this particular brand of poetry is not my thing, I added a star, because I really didn’t read this with the intention of hating it. I read it to give this modern poetry another chance. Unfortunately, I think it was also the last chance.

[Emma]

Falling for you
was like rereading
my favorite book

Even though this is quite a short poetry collection it had its moments and there a few poems that resonated with me, like the one I quoted at the beginning of this review. If you enjoy reading this kind of free-verse poems, then I recommend you give this collection a try. Plus, it's very quick to read, it will take you less than 20 minutes.

[Ashley]

Another book in the Atticus vein i.e. tumblr/twitter/instagram poetry. 13 year old me probably would have loved this. I used to be more generous when rating these types of books, but honestly I’ve reached my limit.

[Lia Strange]

"That i have scars so long,
so deep,
you may never find
the ends of them"

otro libro de poesía mas

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice)]

Put your hands up if you have insomnia here *nervously puts up her hand* Well, I enjoyed this collection a great deal. Selection of simple yet beautiful poetry about dreams and nightmares, sleeping and living. Glad I found this on KU!

[Nicole]

Beautiful poetry filled with heart and honesty.

[Jessica Robinson]

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: I just don’t think modern poetry is my thing.

2/5 stars.

If this type of poetry hits you right in the stomach, awesome! That’s great. I’m truly happy for you. But what happened to the poetry that was so saturated in beautifully strung together metaphors that it was practically dripping off the page? I miss those days. I miss that poetry. If this works for you, that’s wonderful. To each his/her own. Personally I found this entirely underwhelming and I had to force myself to push through this collection. It seems so utterly juvenile, but even middle school me would probably have read these poems and thought they were missing substance and clarity. Once I finish my stack of recently ordered Amazon poetry, I do not think I will be revisiting any modern day poets for awhile. It obviously isn’t for me, and I loathe writing bad reviews. I’m giving this 2/5 stars because frankly I don’t want to give any poet a one star rating. I don’t want writers to feel discouraged to write from the heart, which is exactly what poetry is - it’s a pressure-release valve, a blurry photograph of the soul, a more socially-accepted anti-anxiety medication. NEVER stop writing.

[Fizah(Books tales by me)]

Heart touching 🖤

[Reading_ Tamishly]

I love this collection. It’s so different yet it also seems quite familiar.

I love how personal this collection is. Beautiful and sad and hopeful.

[Kati shelfmadewoman]

The synopsis drew me in and I was VERY excited to read this piece by a young female poet about insomnia and thoughts during the night.

But it wasn’t about insomnia or nightmares or dreaming. It was (I hate myself for saying this) a bad Rupi Kaur collection.

One or two of the pieces were okay enough. But we’re missing craft and depth.

That being said, I think this (very young) writer has potential! And if she was reading this, I would say, keep going! I want to see the other things you write!

[m ˚˖ ࣪ ♡]

“Here’s to the women who come home each day, unbutton the grief, shrug it off their shoulders and try to forget it for a while before they are forced to wake up and press repeat.”

—

“You didn’t listen to me
when I tried to explain
that I have scars so long,
so deep, you may never
find the ends of them”

🫶🏻

[Rehan Abd Jamil]

Learn to take a compliment with grace even if you don't believe it. i love this :)

[ren]

I really expected to enjoy this, but I ended up feeling like I had read these poems many times before.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?]]

I live among the hardcovers
stacked in piles higher than Everest
because it is easier to feel
through fictional characters
the loss
the love
the heartbreak
the tragedy
it all comes at once
and then it is gone
with the close of the cover

-from the comfort of my bedroom

[Morgan Nikola-Wren]

I can't believe I'm the first person leaving a review for this here! This writer is a bright, young spark of a human who offers us such clever, hard-hitting lines as "you stole my breath so you could stop holding yours" and a brave candor, showing itself especially in the poem, "Things that Make Me Unlovable." This book is a delight. I just wish a great many of the poems were longer.

Looking forward to snatching up the next collection that Curtis releases.

[Rachel Nicole Wagner Martinez]

Good collection

This was a pretty good collection of poetry. The only reason I’m giving it three stars is because I couldn’t identify with a lot of the cynical-ness at the beginning, however, the closer I got to the end; the more I liked the poems. Good job!

Xo,
Rach

[irene ✨]

2.5/5.

(reading collections of poetry to achieve my reading challenge.😂)


Favs quotes:

Some people were just designed to be
destructive


That flicker in his eyes,
the one you thought was love,
turned out to be hell and chaos.

[mar✰]

"Falling for you was like rereading my favorite book."

[angelpompom]

My favorite poems are the ones I go back and read once, twice, three times right after my initial read✨

If he does not respect you now,
he never will

It’s impossible to
teach a whale how to walk
_____

To cry over spilled milk is completely acceptable
-the tears will not end you
_____

Falling for you
was like rereading
my favorite book
_____

[abby myles]

i especially loved the words about words and books

[Cari]

Every time I review a book of poetry, I feel it's necessary to point out that I'm in no way trying to diss the poet's artistic talent if I give a low or mediocre rating. The rating I give is purely derivative of the feelings inspired in me by the poet's words.

in the absence of the sun is a compilation of very short poems that were pleasant to read but didn't exactly inspire any deep feelings or moods, thus this was just an 'okay' reading experience for me.

Here are a few lines that stood out to me:

"Empathy tugs lightly on my shirt sleeve and gently whispers in my ear, 'they are struggling too'"

"You are not allowed to be the main character of someone else's memoir"

I know someone who could benefit from reading/understanding both of these. ☺

[Beetle The Bard]

Read this all in one sitting. So good! My family loves writing poetry, so I decided to read some. I only knocked the star off because some of the poems, to me, were too crowded and busy. I haven’t read much poetry, so after a few collections I’ll get a better rating system lol.

[Amanda Rose]

Such a great book of poems! I loved each and every one of them!!!

[Mik]

Me gustó. No fue la gran cosa, pero algunos de los poemas fueron muy buenos.

[Benjamin Alexandre]

I accept poetry collections recommendations!

If possible something not romantic since I DNF that kind of poetry haha

[Ave Reads ♡]

to me, it's either a hit or miss to the reader.