The Edge of the Continent: The City

by Jacqueline Suskin

This book is about California. Specifically, this second volume is about Southern California, the heavily populated part of the state, the sprawling metropolis, and the thirsty land that supports so many people. Jacqueline Suskin moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and still calls the city home. This book explores her transition into city life after leaving the majesty of Northern California forests and the fulfillment of communal off-the-grid living. In this collection, we move through the struggle of finding beauty, purpose, and joy in urbanity, and in doing so discover the infinite inspiration that exists in a place as unique as Los Angeles.

Genres: Poetry

94 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[Ella Hasty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so there were some stand alone bangers in here especially the ones about nature and when nature converges with a human industrialized city. The parts I loved were the poems where I felt like she was findings nuggets of love and care in a otherwise bleak and chaotic landscape. Then, I hit a page where she called herself an “empath” in a poem and I barfed. As I continued through the book I was startled realizing that, other than nature, these poems are just about herself. The sense of love and community that are preached are lost in bursts of ego and wanting everyone to see her a certain way. This book review is turning into a character assassination of the author and I am sorry about that. I just think its sus to make bold claims about how you are “every type of empath” when your writing reflects a sort of narcissism. (I really hope the author never sees this review because it feels so mean. I just think there is a genre of people who claim to be artists, but really they just want a pedestal. I really don’t know her, so it is so ostentatious for me to claim this of her, I am just saying that the book gives me that vibe. No offense.) Gonna go read Pablo Neruda’s odes to lovers to make me feel better. I wanna feel that you actually love people and not that you want to appear to love people.

[Kara Mae Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic skewering of Los Angeles. Probably deserved.