Somewhere On The Edge Of I'm Sorry

by Carson Patrick Bowie

Somewhere On The Edge Of I’m Sorry is a brutally honest, healing, and emotional collection of prose by Canadian author Carson Patrick Bowie. The author dares you to judge a book by its cover while setting out with the intention to make you feel an entire range of emotions. At times both romantic and cynical, yet as heartfelt as it is heartbreaking.

134 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Carson currently resides in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada, along with his two rescued cats. A proud father of two terrific sons, he’s juggling the challenges of adapting to both empty nest syndrome and life after surviving a severe stroke. Carson is passionate about great storytelling regardless of the medium. He believes representation is important, is unreasonably fond of Dan Levy, and just the right amount of fond of Dungeons & Dragons. He considers himself a master of run-on sentences and something of a hack. He misses the Scholastic book fair and endeavors to write stories that look forward while taking every reader back.

Reviews

[Alicia Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend you read this sooner rather than later because the author has a tendency to take down his work before releasing new work! Goooo!!

[Jen Von Weier · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me six months to finish this 120 page collection. I found that I could only read one or two poems / short stories before getting caught on one that I had to read over and over again. Read it aloud so I could hear it, too. Then think about it the rest of the day. Then I'd find myself wanting to go back and read more, but could not truly appreciate the next passage because I was still thinking about the others that struck me so hard earlier. This book is incredible. And intimate. And so honest you'll feel like you snagged a copy of Carson's personal diary instead of published work. I wanted another thousand pages so I will always have new pieces to read for the rest of my life... probably another reason why it took me so long to finish- I didn't want it to end.
These poems and short stories made me smile, some made me cry (sometimes only a tear or two, other times full on lip trembling, tears mixing with snot with a sob or snuck in). Some made my heart turn to lead after reading some of the most difficult emotions I've gone through put into words in my hands. Let out a couple, "Jeeesus CHRIST, Carson,"s under my breath- sometimes because it hurt, and other times because I was blushing.
This little book will move you if you let it, and I cannot recommend that enough.

[mmck · Rating 5 out of 5]

With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, Somewhere on the Edge of I’m Sorry is a devastating and delightful collection of some of the difficulties and desires this human has faced in his days. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “just another poetry book” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it is like to walk in another man’s shoes, (and find yourself standing there) then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

Mr. Bowie’s first piece shows us how we have all mastered the art of vanity, and ends with a teeny tiny short piece that left me absolutely needing to know the details of this particular situation.

And in between I cried. And laughed. And was hypnotized by his romanticism. And how he romanticizes death in the loveliest way that I have ever read. And how I found so much of myself just waiting for me in the middle of his pages.

He manages to tackle the hurt, the love, the tragedy, and the disasters with the silky finesse of a masterful storyteller, bursting onto the scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch. If you think he’s finished with us, you are so mistaken. I just know that he has so much more to say.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I was expecting a light read. This book was not light. It tore my heart open in the best and worst ways possible and I loved every moment of it. As someone who is not a book-crier, I bawled every single time I picked it up. Carson's words will cut through you in ways most writers only ever hope to achieve. I could not recommend this book enough. Read it.

[Tony Sadowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovered Carson Patrick Bowie through his “Charlie Lavender” YA book and was excited to learn he’d written this one as I made a point of checking out more poetry/short-form writing last year.

Didn’t disappoint. It’s deeply personal, painfully honest, and packed with hauntingly beautiful lines that will stick with you.

[Sylvia Gajewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read! Keep it on your nightstand you will always want to go back and read it over and over. His words were raw, you felt every word as if it were experiencing it.
Do yourself a favor and read this book!