The Life of the Party Is Harder to Find Until You're the Last One Around

by Adrian Sobol

Equal parts funny and devastating, Adrian Sobol's debut dares us to have a good time through our own despair. Written under the influence of immense Catholic guilt, The Life of the Party is Harder to Find Until You're the Last One Around is a roadmap of longing, regret, and all kinds of venial sins. These poems, blurring the line between the absurd and mundane, explore the ways poetry can never solve our problems, only make them prettier. They remind us "we have a right to be tired / bored." When you're a disaster, at least you can take comfort knowing "every trainwreck is [...] sincere."

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2020

Reviews

[Nikolai Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, the poems in this book read like they are in conversation with the work of Michael Robbins and Leigh Chadwick, the latter belonging to the same press as the author of this chapbook. Some great lines in here, easy to read, and relatable to me in the tone of the author. I look forward to whatever they put out next.

[Alan ten-Hoeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely does a book of poetry, especially a debut, floor me like this one. Funny, sad, ridiculous, insightful, and accurate. The poetry I choose to read usually depends on my mood. Company I pull out of my stacks to fulfill my selfish psychic needs of the moment. Do I want someone to commiserate with me? Do I want to be uplifted? To laugh and forget my problems for a bit? Do I want my mind stretched and twisted into new perspectives I would otherwise be unable to see? Or do I simply want to lose myself in beautiful descriptions of mundane things? Ha! I'm not good at these reviews. What I'm trying to say is I found Adrian's poems to be great company no matter where my constantly swinging moods took me.

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

One hell of a debut poetry collection. We laugh to keep from crying. We dance to keep from collapsing. James Tate's ghost wanders the corridors of these pages with a haunted grin on his face. As one should. As one does.