loudest when startled

by luna rey hall

The poems in loudest when startled, luna rey hall’s debut collection, explore the ways in which gun violence has become part of the fundamental nature of relationships, family, and American masculinity—so much so that the bullet has been rendered benign, just another news story, just another obituary, just another walk down the street. The poetry in loudest when startled follows two brothers born into gun culture as they navigate their relationship to anger, loss, and guns in entirely different ways with different outcomes yet leaving us with a sense that we are all both predator and prey.

Genres: Poetry

118 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2020

About the author

luna rey hall is a queer trans non-binary writer. they are the author of “space neon neon space” (Variant Lit, 2022), “no matter the diagnosis” (Game Over Books, 2023), “the patient routine” (Brigids Gate Press, 2023), and “loudest when startled” (YesYes Books, 2020), longlisted for the 2020 Julie Suk Award. they are the winner of the 2013 Patsy Lea Core in Memorial Award for Poetry. their poems have appeared in The Florida Review, The Rumpus & Raleigh Review, among others. they live in St. Paul, MN. find more information at lunareyhall.com.

Reviews

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deer, the bullet, the brother. It was never just about the deer, the bullet, the brother. It is about the gun in the background. The culture. The inability to predict. The choice to become something else, but what? The loss. Becoming the loss. Listening to hear, to stop being scared, to stop scaring.

[Heather Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection that stays with you long after you finish the final poem by the author. Excited to see what's next for them.

[Walker James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this all in one sitting, out loud. By the time it was over, the bathwater was cold, and I was shivering.

[I. Merey · Rating 5 out of 5]

the phone ringing. a dream
where a slender rifle

slithers into bed with me

Beautiful poems about guns, nature, fear, doubt, and a young man's relationship with his brother.
His relationship to the idea of a gun.

[Kelly Grace Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stunning collection! This book is a study in gun culture, control, and power. The poet puts us both inside and outside of the situation, painting both signs with gasp-worthy language and insightful reflection. I read this book in under an hour. Could not put it down.

[KMA Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular debut!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful debut of haunting poems! I'm looking forward to their future collections.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems about gun violence in America (especially school shootings), family bonds, hunting and the hunted, and survival.

from How a Bullet Works: "how the bullet / would never go off // in the right hands. how a safety / means nothing. // how the bullet sputters // then blooms."

from Obsession: "a dream / where a slender rifle // slithers into bed with me, / all seductive & dazzling. // we make love. / the barrel's mouth // all bitter / tastes how i thought."

from A Solution: "another shooting. // i know, it's getting old. // another body swallowed / by lead & howl."

[Lisa Stice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a complex book of beautifully written poems about personal & societal impacts of United States gun culture.