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Sunshine
Shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Prize, Ted Hughes Award and Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. Sunshine is the powerful new collection from Next Generation Poet Melissa Lee-Houghton. Continuing the stark confessional style that has garnered critical acclaim and a growing fanbase, Sunshine is at times explicit, at others tender, sexual and dangerous. These poems ooze confidence and demonstrate Melissa's ability to shine a light on human emotion with startling precision.
88 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2016
8 people are currently reading
521 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Lee-Houghton
12 books41 followers Melissa Lee-Houghton was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester in 1982.
Melissa was selected by The Poetry Book Society as one of the Next Generation Poets 2014.
Her first collection, A Body Made of You, a series of poems written for writers, artists, strangers, lovers and friends was published by Penned in the Margins in 2011.
Beautiful Girls, Melissa's second collection, was published in November 2013 by Penned in the Margins and was selected as a Poetry Book Society Recommendation for Winter 2013.
Her debut release, Patterns Of Mourning, a book-length sequence which records a descent into madness during a troubled affair, was published by Chipmunka in 2009 and was followed with Bite Your Tongue When You Give Me My Name, a collection of early poems.
Her poetry and short fiction have been published in literary magazines such as Poetry Salzburg, The New Writer, The White Review, Succour, Magma and Tears in the Fence.
Melissa was the winner of The New Writer's Prose & Poetry competition 2012, for her collection of poems, titled Joseph, which form part of Beautiful Girls.
She is a regular reviewer for The Short Review.
Melissa was selected by The Poetry Book Society as one of the Next Generation Poets 2014.
Her first collection, A Body Made of You, a series of poems written for writers, artists, strangers, lovers and friends was published by Penned in the Margins in 2011.
Beautiful Girls, Melissa's second collection, was published in November 2013 by Penned in the Margins and was selected as a Poetry Book Society Recommendation for Winter 2013.
Her debut release, Patterns Of Mourning, a book-length sequence which records a descent into madness during a troubled affair, was published by Chipmunka in 2009 and was followed with Bite Your Tongue When You Give Me My Name, a collection of early poems.
Her poetry and short fiction have been published in literary magazines such as Poetry Salzburg, The New Writer, The White Review, Succour, Magma and Tears in the Fence.
Melissa was the winner of The New Writer's Prose & Poetry competition 2012, for her collection of poems, titled Joseph, which form part of Beautiful Girls.
She is a regular reviewer for The Short Review.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 16, 2017
3/10 'Hatred of Poetry' module.
Oh man, this was a sex-repulsed person's worst nightmare.
Oh man, this was a sex-repulsed person's worst nightmare.
May 5, 2017
A received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Melissa Lee-Houghton, and the publisher, Penned in the Margins, for this opportunity.
It really saddens me to give any book just one star, but poetry even more so due to its personal nature. It is not that these were bad poems (especially considering it was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Prize and Ted Hughes Award) but the poems here did not resonate with me like they should have.
The poems were of an extremely sexual nature that I was unprepared for and often found quite unsettling to read. These also weren't exactly of the style that I prefer in my poetry reading. In places, this collection had almost a stream-of-consciousness style to it which, whilst interesting, wasn't exactly what I would typically gravitate towards.
Whilst a thought-provoking read this was, unfortunately, not for me.
It really saddens me to give any book just one star, but poetry even more so due to its personal nature. It is not that these were bad poems (especially considering it was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Prize and Ted Hughes Award) but the poems here did not resonate with me like they should have.
The poems were of an extremely sexual nature that I was unprepared for and often found quite unsettling to read. These also weren't exactly of the style that I prefer in my poetry reading. In places, this collection had almost a stream-of-consciousness style to it which, whilst interesting, wasn't exactly what I would typically gravitate towards.
Whilst a thought-provoking read this was, unfortunately, not for me.
Read
August 16, 20174/10 Contemporary Poetry module
August 2, 2022
Do you remember
when we first meet I would
shake your hand, meaning we're not done yet, meaning
get this right, meaning I haven't got much time left, you can
save me, you're an educated man, owe nobody nothing, meaning
we are in this together, you and I —
I licked my palm of your perverse vulnerability, back then
I was the ultimate prize for any young doctor;
genetics, history, circumstance, nature/nurture,
the early onset of suicidal ambition, the
self-healing lacerations, the psychosis, the contra-indications,
rapid cycling over the handlebars of
hurtling towards
the heart
without
brakes
these days.
June 28, 2017
'Sunshine' isn’t always easy to read and not for those who are easily shocked . It is confessional poetry drifting through sordid scenes of mental hospitals and seedy hotel rooms with a subject matter that is always so personal and in words that are so direct and totally in your face. It’s brutal poetry about the pain and suffering of being human, of living on, of being wanted, of surviving in an unforgiving world. Lee-Houghton writes poetry that oozes immediacy.
March 8, 2021
i really couldn’t stop reading this, even though i kinda wanted to. almost every line is braver than i will ever be
July 19, 2017
I found it a very uneven book - some poems were so fantastically wonderful, and some were a bit less interesting and original and felt too "Tumblr"-ish for me. But overall, these poems were beautiful and relatable and interesting - I loved most of what I have read.
March 16, 2017
"...
I was the wife who didn't care and her lover.
I was the protagonist and his impending death.
I was the little girl and her green shit.
I was the house on fire.
I was the much-lauded play.
I was the world's only fat junkie.
...."
From the poem "Videos"
.
Sunshine
Poems by Melissa Lee-Houghton
.
Melissa Lee-Houghton is a Next Generation Poet. This book mainly contains her poems on mental health, abuse, addiction and of hope & desires. Definitely not an easy read for me. The book is 88 pages but very raw. Took me 2 months plus to complete it. I keep wanting to skip some of the poetry as it was surreal, honest and brutal. Mental health is real....
#2017booknura
I was the wife who didn't care and her lover.
I was the protagonist and his impending death.
I was the little girl and her green shit.
I was the house on fire.
I was the much-lauded play.
I was the world's only fat junkie.
...."
From the poem "Videos"
.
Sunshine
Poems by Melissa Lee-Houghton
.
Melissa Lee-Houghton is a Next Generation Poet. This book mainly contains her poems on mental health, abuse, addiction and of hope & desires. Definitely not an easy read for me. The book is 88 pages but very raw. Took me 2 months plus to complete it. I keep wanting to skip some of the poetry as it was surreal, honest and brutal. Mental health is real....
#2017booknura
July 12, 2019
Sunshine is meant to shock, it’s tendency to revel in its pain and depravity is less entertaining.
Around the 75% mark, one has gotten over the shock factor and realizes there’s not much else.
Some of the poems are quite good though and some lines devilishly clever, if only the whole collection lived up to the same standards.
Around the 75% mark, one has gotten over the shock factor and realizes there’s not much else.
Some of the poems are quite good though and some lines devilishly clever, if only the whole collection lived up to the same standards.
November 4, 2024
If I don’t live forever I don’t see why I can’t do anything I want. Jump ship. Lie in court. Become a more mysterious person. Leave a blank note. Scream and wail. Mourn the lives of everyone I ever met whether dead or not. Look back and see you turn away, and never do anything again but think on it
really enjoyed the visceral sexual imagery, but some of the poems did nothing for me
really enjoyed the visceral sexual imagery, but some of the poems did nothing for me
September 8, 2024
I loved it and then I didn't
May 21, 2022
Just loved it. Heavy at times, but totally brilliant
July 24, 2018
These poems are powerful through their attention to detail and unflinching examination of the poet’s world. Part of their power comes from the (often) long-lined form, which might reflect the speaker’s need for urgent and powerful saying.
July 16, 2017
Uggggh, how do I give my reaction to this book of poetry without coming off as a complete asshole? Maybe my ambivalence to this book reveals my asshole-dom. My priviledged male, non-addict, relatively happy life free from sexual abuse and just the general fucked-upness of the world. A book like this which seems to list the litanties of misery, mental, physical, social and political, makes me realize just how priviledged and clueless I am of others in the world. So that is in its favour - its just that it got a little boring for me after a while that probably doesn't reflect well on me - but there is an argument that might also be the book's fault.
So after the first 10 or 15 pages that I feel like I got lost in the autobiographical misery - in the fracturing of the voice - rather than being super into the language of the book that caught me up initially. (I downloaded the sample of this book from amazon, read that, was super into it and then bought it - at which point.... oh shit, oh well, might as well read the rest, maybe it will re-engage me.)
For the first part of the collection I felt anchored and felt something, but after a while whether it was a shift in technique or just the repetition of shitiness that I became detached. The book itself seemed to get more detached, more abstract in a way that was off-putting.
But yeah, I don't know if that was the book or if that was me.
There is a dismissive reading that this book solely gets its power from Lee-Houghton opening her viens up and bleeding for the reader - but she is a much better writer than that. The language in the book, in places, is affecting and powerful. Yet there are other times that I think despite the power of her craft that the subject matter seems to overwhelm the poetry and just... squashed things into misery for me.
Probably a book I will have to come back to and dip into. Take out slices of Lee-Houghton like Alice the the Tom Petty Video while listening to Nina Simon and taste it again. Right now I feel like I ate the entire cake and might throw up.
So after the first 10 or 15 pages that I feel like I got lost in the autobiographical misery - in the fracturing of the voice - rather than being super into the language of the book that caught me up initially. (I downloaded the sample of this book from amazon, read that, was super into it and then bought it - at which point.... oh shit, oh well, might as well read the rest, maybe it will re-engage me.)
For the first part of the collection I felt anchored and felt something, but after a while whether it was a shift in technique or just the repetition of shitiness that I became detached. The book itself seemed to get more detached, more abstract in a way that was off-putting.
But yeah, I don't know if that was the book or if that was me.
There is a dismissive reading that this book solely gets its power from Lee-Houghton opening her viens up and bleeding for the reader - but she is a much better writer than that. The language in the book, in places, is affecting and powerful. Yet there are other times that I think despite the power of her craft that the subject matter seems to overwhelm the poetry and just... squashed things into misery for me.
Probably a book I will have to come back to and dip into. Take out slices of Lee-Houghton like Alice the the Tom Petty Video while listening to Nina Simon and taste it again. Right now I feel like I ate the entire cake and might throw up.
July 31, 2017
If I hadn't been reading this for a ReadAThon, I probably would have DNF'ed it.
This poetry collection really wasn't for me. I hate criticising poetry, because I feel like the poet has been so open and honest and it's almost like criticising what they have been through, but it's not like I'm saying the poems are awful and nobody should read it. I'm just saying that the style and content isn't personally the kind of thing that interests me or that I particularly enjoy reading.
I kept hoping that the poems would improve in terms of my taste, or change tone, or change topic, but it all felt very much the same to me, which is great for people who like the tone and topic, but for me, it just made it so difficult to get through.
This has just reminded me how I shouldn't just buy books based on the cover. The cover for this book is very misleading. I thought it would be a cute summery poetry collection, which altogether was quite happy. I couldn't have been more wrong. The poems were crude, dark, and miserable. Maybe I just didn't relate because I hadn't been through the same things as the poet, and maybe it'll be more impactful for someone who had been through similar things, but this book was such a struggle for me.
This poetry collection really wasn't for me. I hate criticising poetry, because I feel like the poet has been so open and honest and it's almost like criticising what they have been through, but it's not like I'm saying the poems are awful and nobody should read it. I'm just saying that the style and content isn't personally the kind of thing that interests me or that I particularly enjoy reading.
I kept hoping that the poems would improve in terms of my taste, or change tone, or change topic, but it all felt very much the same to me, which is great for people who like the tone and topic, but for me, it just made it so difficult to get through.
This has just reminded me how I shouldn't just buy books based on the cover. The cover for this book is very misleading. I thought it would be a cute summery poetry collection, which altogether was quite happy. I couldn't have been more wrong. The poems were crude, dark, and miserable. Maybe I just didn't relate because I hadn't been through the same things as the poet, and maybe it'll be more impactful for someone who had been through similar things, but this book was such a struggle for me.
September 6, 2023
This really wasn't to my taste, for two reasons. First, the poems were all very explicitly sexual. This author could not write three lines without some reference to pussy, cock, cum, fucking, porn etc. etc.. as a very non-sexual person I simply couldn't relate. Second, the poems were all long form and very stream of conciousness, so even though there were a few golden lines here and there, especially in the parts about addiction and mental health care, they were drowned out by page upon page of highly pornographic drivel, so that it felt less like the author had actually written something great and more like a broken clock being right once in a while.
This is all of course quite subjective, and if you like stream of conciousness poetry about straight sex this might be for you. Personally I prefer a few carefully crafted lines that say a lot over these types of rambles.
This is all of course quite subjective, and if you like stream of conciousness poetry about straight sex this might be for you. Personally I prefer a few carefully crafted lines that say a lot over these types of rambles.
August 29, 2019
This was hard stuff. But I liked it and it really got me.
As usual a lot of it went probably over my head, because English is not my first language and poetry is much more difficult for me to understand completely than other literature is. Nevertheless it really impressed me.
There's a woman saying out loud, what she is usually not allowed to say. There's an addict saying out loud, what everyone doesn't want to hear, because it's only her own fault. There's someone poor saying out loud what nobody is interested to hear. There's someone abused saying out loud what no one considers as an appropriate reaction.
This woman is saying all of this and more out loud and she has every right to do so.
As usual a lot of it went probably over my head, because English is not my first language and poetry is much more difficult for me to understand completely than other literature is. Nevertheless it really impressed me.
There's a woman saying out loud, what she is usually not allowed to say. There's an addict saying out loud, what everyone doesn't want to hear, because it's only her own fault. There's someone poor saying out loud what nobody is interested to hear. There's someone abused saying out loud what no one considers as an appropriate reaction.
This woman is saying all of this and more out loud and she has every right to do so.
January 31, 2025
I was not that impressed with Sunshine, sadly - on the whole, the poems were underwhelming and uninspiring. HOWEVER, Lee-Houghton has an exceptional ear for language - so many of her individual words and phrases resonated so deeply with me, even if the poems on the whole were formally dull. So while I don't get the hype l'd seen for this collection, I would probably try again, in the hopes that Lee-Houghton's next venture is better.
November 16, 2017
This was such a goddamn disappointment and it's making me sad.
My problem - for a deeply introspective and confessional collection, the writing felt sterile. It felt forced at times and empty in a boring way. I just couldn't care about anything it was talking about.
Which again, disappointing because the potential, oh, the potential. It wasn't 100% bad. I think the first poem is excellent and there are a few beautiful phrases, but that's about it.
I think my favourite bit was:
God descaled my heart and French kissed me. He tasted like McDonald's.
My problem - for a deeply introspective and confessional collection, the writing felt sterile. It felt forced at times and empty in a boring way. I just couldn't care about anything it was talking about.
Which again, disappointing because the potential, oh, the potential. It wasn't 100% bad. I think the first poem is excellent and there are a few beautiful phrases, but that's about it.
I think my favourite bit was:
God descaled my heart and French kissed me. He tasted like McDonald's.
September 10, 2019
They're not bad poems (clearly shown by to the number of awards attached to Houghton's name), but really just not my cup of tea. Discusses mental health issues in an incredibly sexual-focused way, but brutally raw to the point where I just felt uncomfortable reading this, and didn't really connect with the poems.
April 17, 2018
I’m giving 3 stars because I thought the writing was rather powerful. The poems were very intense. However the sheer amount of sex made me incredibly uncomfortable as that’s not something I like to read about, especially in such a large quantity and so in-your-face.
August 5, 2018
Read August 2018
3,5 stars?
Much darker than the cover might suggest.
This collection was way more sexual than I was comfortable with. I did however like her writingstyle a lot and the poems that weren't as overly sexual were great.
3,5 stars?
Much darker than the cover might suggest.
This collection was way more sexual than I was comfortable with. I did however like her writingstyle a lot and the poems that weren't as overly sexual were great.
May 24, 2017
A well thought-out and engrossing book of poetry by Melissa-Lee Houghton. I loved it, but it may have been that I'm in the right headspace for it at the moment.
July 12, 2017
Extraordinary - gripping - heartbreaking - real
February 15, 2018
They were some lines in here that I loved and this collection definitely made me think, but on the whole, most of the poems didn't resonate with me.
June 28, 2018
3.5 stars
Read
June 18, 2019DNF at 40 pages
June 23, 2020
Unsettling, very sexual but thought provoking. It grew on me as I continued reading.
March 11, 2021
beyond difficult to read, but unbelievably good poetry
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews