Romance or the End

by Elaine Kahn

Romance or The End takes up the tools of romantic narrative in order to perform the rupture between self and story that occurs at the onset of trauma. Using known and pathologized literary arcs, Elaine Kahn unspools the fundamental instability of truth, love, and language to create an experiential portrait of narrative’s power to both disfigure and restore.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Ebooks, Poetry Plays, Contemporary, 21st Century

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2020

Reviews

[Lany Holcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout this entire collection I was trapped in a state of limbo between wanting to clap and scream "hell yes" and wanting to wrap my arms around myself and cry. This is genius prose that everyone should read. Powerful words, gripping topics, and raw honesty ripple through each poem and I don't think there's a single one I could pick out to like more or less than the others. I entreat everyone to read Elaine Kahn’s "Romance or The End", it's absolutely brilliant and reflective.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I want so much long fake hair
and I want to win a dance off

I want to be disciplined
and prompt, I want

to cum
by barely even moving

desire really can be simple."

(112)

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When paired with its contents, the title of this collection alone can generate so many interpretations. Is this the End of Romance? Is Romance the End goal? Are these things disguised as each other, one and the same? These sparse and powerful pieces communicate the duality of hyper-emotional and the feeling of nothingness. What isn't said is just as loud as what is. Kahn's latest collection is my favorite sort of poetry-- a little sardonic, a dash of cynicism, and peppered with wit. She just Gets It. Readers of Melissa Broder and Megan Boyle will find a lasagna-shaped space in their heart for this selection.

[Elle Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have never read anything more intoxicating than this book

[Andrea Trenary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this via goodreads.
And it was awful.
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Hard pass.

[Michelle Arredondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and beautiful. I was engulfed in all kinds of emotions with this book. Heartfelt, dramatic, gives you all the feels. Relatable, thought provoking, and raw. This book gives so much and yet you will finish it craving even more.

Truly worth the time. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the good people of goodreads and to the publisher for my copy of this book won via giveaway. I received. I read. I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Soft Skull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance or The End takes up the tools of romantic narrative in order to perform the rupture between self and story that occurs at the onset of trauma. Using known and pathologized literary arcs, Elaine Kahn unspools the fundamental instability of truth, love, and language to create an experiential portrait of narrative’s power to both disfigure and restore.

[tay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhh... honestly don’t understand how some poets get published while others, with so much fucking talent don’t. There were a handful of decent— even good poems, but the majority were pitiful. I was reading some of these with my hands clenched, face confused, & generally theme of WTF running through my mind. Ex: A list of random items does not constitute as poetry to me... Also there was SO MUCH CUM. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good poem where things get a bit more edgy & raw. Hell, I wrote a poem this morning with the word cum in it, but her usage seemed excessive & merely for shock value. I don’t know. This was not my jam.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this and finished it before the Covid 19. Now, I am reading it again. There are passages that get right to the heart of being female. Or human, either way. I keep going back to it because some of it is just so good!!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fitting to have a Kim Gordon text painting on the cover, these poems are quickly dragged across the page, dripping and raw, equal parts notes app musings and sharply penned bolts of text. It's hard to stop, goes down quick and whole.

[Amber Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each page was heartfelt and you could feel the emotions of the author. Many of the poems are short, but they convey so much depth within each line and word.

[Anneliese Grassi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Romance or The End? I choose the end, and I was glad I got to it. I like to think I am well rounded and open minded, but to me, this just seemed like a bunch of words randomly on pages. Maybe I am missing something, I don’t know.

There were a few that were quite lovely, and my favorite was the book’s namesake, which was at the very end of the book. But overall, this kind of just went over my head.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had the same effect on me that milk and honey had and it is that so many people seem to like it but I just found it stupid. None of the "poems" really connect or make sense. It's just a bunch of disconnected sentences thrown together in hopes that the reader thinks they mean something.

[Giulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unpopular Opinion Time 🐸☕️

I have a question for you all.
Am I stupid or am I very stupid?
Do not worry, there is not a wrong answer.

I ask this because I honestly felt as if I was just too dumb to actually understand and appreciate this collection of poems, and now I feel inadequate (joke's on me, really).
Yikes.

Everything sounded pretentious and over-the-top metaphoric. As if the author was just trying too much to be edgy and cool.
I was very much not a fan.

Reading is an incredibly personal experience, and I think reading poetry is even more personal and unique. And unfortunately, this type of poetry was not for me.
Sadly, it's a no from me, dawg.

[Sara (onourshelves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as I am processing a breakup, and boy is that a good time to read this collection. Bare with me bc I don't think any of these adjectives sound good, but it was dirty and gritty and messy and I absolutely fucking loved it. My favorites were:

-Romeo & Juliet & Elaine
-Romance (a few of them)
-Untitled
-My Wild Mind
-I Would Like To Have
-Unfucked in the Bed We Fucked On
-Women Wear Clothes To Demonstrate Their Grief
-I Stand Here in my Poodle Skirt and Ask for Everything I can Think of
-I Don't Care If It Lasts
-Elegy What Never Was
-Reality Steve
-Romance or The End

This is me absolutely telling on myself but what can you do, that's poetry baby

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pésimo. Cuando estaba en noveno escribí un poema sobre Finnick Odair y hasta ese poema es mejor que todos los poemas de este libro juntos. Incluso denota más esfuerzo porque al parecer esta señora se sentó a escribir oraciones sin sentido o congruencia y luego espichó enter hasta que se vieron como poemas.

Estoy pensando que tal vez Elaine Kahn tiene fotos de Elizabeth Koch (la CEO de la editorial Soft Skull Books) en una reunión de pizzagate porque esa es la única explicación que se me ocurre para que una editorial decidiera publicar este libro .

[Gabriel Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC given by Edelweiss for Honest Review

Romance or the End is a colorful poetry collection that focuses on the break between self and others when trauma happens. Somewhat religious undertones but overall accessible to all audiences. My favorite poems from this are "There Is Nothing More To Life Than This" and "Women Wear Clothes To Demonstrate Grief."

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly held off reading this chapbook because I knew I would love it and read it too fast. Then after it sitting on my bookshelf for over a month I devoured it in a matter of hours. Elaine Kahn is one of the most refreshing voices I have heard in a long time. These poems are short and sweet, personal yet obscure, and most importantly laugh out loud humorous.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cerebral knots. Flickers of external/tangible imagery. 8mm film / insta filter. Banality of intimate scenes (solitary? thought?) cut with sex, pain, death, longing. the grand romantics. Brilliant word play. Blunt, near cut poems. Read over.

[Sarah Swaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Might not be privileged enough to understand what was happening in this collection, but was not a fan.

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one star is for the cover bc everything else was pretty bad…. Maybe I am not sophisticated enough to understand these poems but they made me feel nothing except slightly confused

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

can’t wait to wake up and read this again in the light of day. no one should be allowed to be this honest

[ani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I think this is technically better than other poetry books I've liked (life Lily's Swimming Lessons I just read), this just didn't resonate with me on the same level. I like the way Kahn was experimental with the form and her more abstract style, and yet... The content itself felt very obvious to me. And I do not wish to be rude; I hope you will enjoy it. But the content often read like something a 14 year-old would write in their notebook after their first "heartbreak" when they think they have the truths of the world. And even though it was written in 1st person, the poetry simply didn't feel personal. At all times it felt distant and I found no heart in it. If beauty is emotion, I cannot call this beauty, because I found no emotion and there was no impact.

[kylie v · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this the day of my first breakup becoming more final and it made me sob. a stunning, poignant, crazily honest, visceral, beautiful piece of writing; everyone in the depths of heartbreak will resonate

[hjh]

“The warmth of my heart is hard/ and unending” (8)

“Your objections/are less passionate/ than my desires…what drives me/ is baseless/ and therefore/ indisputable” (39).

“Men cry on my stomach

all my life/ I’ve only wanted/ someone

tell me a story/ that I can believe” (68).

[Thorson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book

[Ginny Darke · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to shag this book

[Chaserrrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every word, phrase, punctuation, the structure and the space on every page of this stunning collection. Elaine Kahn, you left my heart dripping wet and now it is all yours.

[Ktzaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite poetry book.

[L 🦋 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Love turned me into a liar
Lies turned me into a god”

Completely intoxicating, adore this collection.