Drolleries

by Cassidy McFadzean

The second poetry collection from the award-winning author of Hacker Packer

RAYMOND SOUSTER AWARD FINALIST

Invoking human-animal hybrids in various stages of metamorphosis, Drolleries veers between the beasts of the forest and the opulence of the art gallery. Personal and historical struggles are held against the backdrop of the grotesque and A marriage unravels in Goya's Black Room. The diagnosis of a blood-clotting mutation is read through the tarot. The violence of the patriarchy is filtered through the subconscious. In sonically rich lyric poems that traverse the vulnerability of confession and the dramatic possibilities of persona, Drolleries invokes its monsters as a means of working through internal turmoil, existential doubt, and heartbreak. This collection investigates how the lure of romantic relationships, the enchantments of art, and the seductions of power can be both destructive and transformative - and ultimately become a pathway to self-realization.

Genres: Poetry, Canada

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 26, 2019

About the author

Cassidy McFadzean graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and currently lives in Toronto. She is the author of Hacker Packer, which won two Saskatchewan Book Awards and was a finalist for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, and Drolleries.

Reviews

[Westward Woess · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I am not particularly fond of the word, I can't think of a more apt descriptor than "meaty" for Cassidy McFadzen's second collection of poetry. It is not that they are heavy, per se, but rather that they are substantive. They need to be considered and consumed with some consideration—re-read and re-visited at times—inviting meditation. They are the sort of meal that needs one bite at a time. But this is not to say that they are unreadable. McFadzen's imagery is striking and vivid. The collection balances between grotesque and lyrical, painting pictures of both magic and the body in a way that is both grounded and enthralling.

[ea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not the most adept at poetry; it frightens me. Possibly because of the abundance of pyritic poems which are made out to be 18-karat, the accompanying guilt of being an appraiser?

McFadzean's work is bona fide - complex feelings surrounding the ending of a marriage interwoven with beauty and the history of Europe's art galleries. Ten gold stars, if I could.

I'll settle for getting to analyze "The Unicorn Tapestries" in class next month.

[Kristilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost feel like Apple sponsored this collection for all the times Iphone and facetime were mentioned. (Mostly Iphone came up.)

[Margaryta · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something intimate and soothing about Drolleries, though I can't put my hand on it. Something that made me both at ease and yet very hyper aware. McFadzean's poetic voice is beautiful, I hope I can continue listening to it for a long time to come.