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The Penguin Poets
The Symmetry of Fish
From National Poetry Series winner Su Cho, chosen by Paige Lewis, a debut poetry collection about immigration, memory, and a family's lexicon
Language and lore are at the core of The Symmetry of Fish, a moving debut about coming-of-age in the middle of nowhere. With striking and tender insight, it seeks to give voice to those who have been denied their stories, and examines the way phrases and narratives are passed down through immigrant families--not diluted over time, but distilled into potency over generations. In this way, a family's language is not lost but continuously remade, hitched to new associations, and capable of blooming anew, with the power to cut across space and time to unearth buried memories. The poems in The Symmetry of Fish insist that language is first and foremost a bodily act; even if our minds can't recall a word or a definition, if we trust our mouths, expression will find us--though never quite in the forms we expect.
Language and lore are at the core of The Symmetry of Fish, a moving debut about coming-of-age in the middle of nowhere. With striking and tender insight, it seeks to give voice to those who have been denied their stories, and examines the way phrases and narratives are passed down through immigrant families--not diluted over time, but distilled into potency over generations. In this way, a family's language is not lost but continuously remade, hitched to new associations, and capable of blooming anew, with the power to cut across space and time to unearth buried memories. The poems in The Symmetry of Fish insist that language is first and foremost a bodily act; even if our minds can't recall a word or a definition, if we trust our mouths, expression will find us--though never quite in the forms we expect.
80 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2022
18 people are currently reading
3014 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
June 19, 2022
This poetry is quite marvelous. All hits no skips. I was incredibly moved by these poems about family and immigration and the relationship we have to languages. I particularly loved the poem about translating for parents. I look forward to more from Su Cho.
January 27, 2023
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I will admit that my motivations to read The Symmetry of Fish were rather superficial: I thought the cover design was stunning and the title itself intrigued me. In the last few months, I have been making an effort to read more contemporary poetry and so far I can safely say that I love Ada Limón’s work and that I found poetry collections like Nina Mingya Powles's Magnolia, 木蘭 and Victoria Chang's Dear Memory to be poignant and evocative. For some reason, this debut poetry collection by Su Cho didn't quite work for me. I found most of her poems to be not contrived, which is too strong a word, but a wee bit affected. Cho’s poems explore and interrogate ideas, aspects, and experiences related to language, immigration, geography, and memory. Maybe I found Cho’s focus on the body and on the organic, to be irritating, but I can’t quite pin those things as wholly accountable for my failure to become engaged in her poems. I tried to get behind her poems, but her words failed to transport me or move me, and I am of the belief that you can’t really force yourself to like/get a poem. That is to say, do not let my review dissuade you from giving this debut a try, given that according to other reviews I am very much an outlier here. If you do give this collection a read I hope you will find it to make for a richer/enlightening reading/listening experience than I was.
I will admit that my motivations to read The Symmetry of Fish were rather superficial: I thought the cover design was stunning and the title itself intrigued me. In the last few months, I have been making an effort to read more contemporary poetry and so far I can safely say that I love Ada Limón’s work and that I found poetry collections like Nina Mingya Powles's Magnolia, 木蘭 and Victoria Chang's Dear Memory to be poignant and evocative. For some reason, this debut poetry collection by Su Cho didn't quite work for me. I found most of her poems to be not contrived, which is too strong a word, but a wee bit affected. Cho’s poems explore and interrogate ideas, aspects, and experiences related to language, immigration, geography, and memory. Maybe I found Cho’s focus on the body and on the organic, to be irritating, but I can’t quite pin those things as wholly accountable for my failure to become engaged in her poems. I tried to get behind her poems, but her words failed to transport me or move me, and I am of the belief that you can’t really force yourself to like/get a poem. That is to say, do not let my review dissuade you from giving this debut a try, given that according to other reviews I am very much an outlier here. If you do give this collection a read I hope you will find it to make for a richer/enlightening reading/listening experience than I was.
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December 23, 202314th book from my reading challenge with Ted.
#7 – Read a prose/poetry book.
Not a bad debut collection by Su Cho. I will be interested in seeing where her career goes. There were a lot of poems that did not connect with me or make much of an impact, and I felt almost screened out of the cultural moments that were happening. I did enjoy the following:
- Abecedarian For ESL In West Lafayette, Indiana
- We Are All Dying, Slowly
#7 – Read a prose/poetry book.
Not a bad debut collection by Su Cho. I will be interested in seeing where her career goes. There were a lot of poems that did not connect with me or make much of an impact, and I felt almost screened out of the cultural moments that were happening. I did enjoy the following:
- Abecedarian For ESL In West Lafayette, Indiana
- We Are All Dying, Slowly
September 8, 2025
thank you mppl book bingo card suggestions but i will not be reading poetry ever again
November 23, 2022
1.5
Feels vacuous. Almost none of the poems leave an impact. The style is styleless. Enjambment and stanza breaks and caesura appear arbitrary. Why is this so loved here on Goodreads?? Su Cho is constantly falling back on really basic Asian American second gen tropes (food, not liking "ethnic" foods when around white kids, language barrier (but on an extremely rudimentary level), some gesturing to cultural ideas from country the narrator has hereditary connection to, intergenerational strife). I'm glad other people connect to this, but it reads like contemporary poetry mediocrity.
It feels like a collection that achieves nothing. It feels like nothing here took that much effort (and not in an abstract expressionist "MY KID COULD DO THIS" type of way).
Feels vacuous. Almost none of the poems leave an impact. The style is styleless. Enjambment and stanza breaks and caesura appear arbitrary. Why is this so loved here on Goodreads?? Su Cho is constantly falling back on really basic Asian American second gen tropes (food, not liking "ethnic" foods when around white kids, language barrier (but on an extremely rudimentary level), some gesturing to cultural ideas from country the narrator has hereditary connection to, intergenerational strife). I'm glad other people connect to this, but it reads like contemporary poetry mediocrity.
It feels like a collection that achieves nothing. It feels like nothing here took that much effort (and not in an abstract expressionist "MY KID COULD DO THIS" type of way).
August 13, 2024
The Symmetry of Fish is a book I will need to read many times before I can regain my equilibrium and grasp the depths of what's presented. The poems are beautiful, and I was often so stunned by the intricacies of the use of language that I missed the message. But I think a good poem is one that invites rereading, and Cho's encourage the reader to return.
Using Korean myth and language, Cho recounts her childhood and growing-up years in this stunning collection about family, immigration, remembrance, and language. She gives names and being to memories and feelings that anyone who has ever felt displaced or different can relate to.
The more I read Asian American poetry, the more I become convinced of the necessity of AAPI stories, especially as they relate to our families, as family often shapes the core of Asian American identity. When I met Su Cho in May, I mentioned that I am also an Asian American poet who writes poems about my grandparents, and that my grandmother also had dementia. She signed my copy of her book, "To Renee - Here's to grandparents," and I knew hers was a voice that was not only gorgeous, but also one I could trust.
To relay the depth, difficulties, complications, beauty, and wonders of having an Asian American family (identity) is a feat. Su Cho has done it.
Using Korean myth and language, Cho recounts her childhood and growing-up years in this stunning collection about family, immigration, remembrance, and language. She gives names and being to memories and feelings that anyone who has ever felt displaced or different can relate to.
The more I read Asian American poetry, the more I become convinced of the necessity of AAPI stories, especially as they relate to our families, as family often shapes the core of Asian American identity. When I met Su Cho in May, I mentioned that I am also an Asian American poet who writes poems about my grandparents, and that my grandmother also had dementia. She signed my copy of her book, "To Renee - Here's to grandparents," and I knew hers was a voice that was not only gorgeous, but also one I could trust.
To relay the depth, difficulties, complications, beauty, and wonders of having an Asian American family (identity) is a feat. Su Cho has done it.
November 29, 2022
amazing how Su Cho weaves the language of love & longing so well throughout the entirety of the collection …. Very much in love with the way she incorporates myth and memory seamlessly into anecdotes of mundane living
May 11, 2023
quite a large portion of the poems on here read like snapshots of an asian family. it felt personal, but also had sufficient distance (?) that allowed for interpretation.
a few of the poems then delved deeper into the author’s identity - asian sayings, myths/legends, etc.
it was a satisfying and quick read. i think i’m gna read it some time again.
a few of the poems then delved deeper into the author’s identity - asian sayings, myths/legends, etc.
it was a satisfying and quick read. i think i’m gna read it some time again.
May 22, 2025
beautiful poems about Asian Americans as first gen.
May 11, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books for my drc in exchange for my honest opinion.
Despite being an English major and having taken multiple creative writing classes, poetry has never been something I sought out, especially modern poetry. I have difficulty taking poets like Rupi Kaur and the like seriously. That said, Cho is not that kind of poet. At the heart of this poetry collection is the deep belief that language is a much more conscious and purposeful act than most people think. I can't say I have a favorite poem yet because I sped through this collection and I'm planning on rereading once more before I delete the drc from my kindle.
My first impression of this collection? If you love poetry, get it. If you don't love poetry, get it. I think Cho is an eloquent writer and their poems really touched something in me. Anyways, I'd definitely recommend this
Despite being an English major and having taken multiple creative writing classes, poetry has never been something I sought out, especially modern poetry. I have difficulty taking poets like Rupi Kaur and the like seriously. That said, Cho is not that kind of poet. At the heart of this poetry collection is the deep belief that language is a much more conscious and purposeful act than most people think. I can't say I have a favorite poem yet because I sped through this collection and I'm planning on rereading once more before I delete the drc from my kindle.
My first impression of this collection? If you love poetry, get it. If you don't love poetry, get it. I think Cho is an eloquent writer and their poems really touched something in me. Anyways, I'd definitely recommend this
June 16, 2024
2nd read - 6/16/24:
When I first read The Symmetry of Fish in 2022, I recall being a little underwhelmed. With the exception of "Abecedarian for ESL in West Lafayette, Indiana," most of the poems in the collection center around food. At the time, I almost felt like they weren't "poetic" enough—that Cho's strengths were limited. I admired her work as an editor for Poetry Magazine, but I questioned whether she was capable of writing poetry.
Reading the book again, I'm struck by how much my perspective has changed. These poems do center around food, but they aren't about that—it's more accurate to say they are stories told through food. Cho exhibits restraint, not limitation as I first thought, as she gestures toward tenderness in each piece. These poems begin and end in humility. They argue for care as the ultimate poetic act—the way a bone is removed from a stew to prevent injury; the way peeling fruit is a love language.
Simply lovely.
When I first read The Symmetry of Fish in 2022, I recall being a little underwhelmed. With the exception of "Abecedarian for ESL in West Lafayette, Indiana," most of the poems in the collection center around food. At the time, I almost felt like they weren't "poetic" enough—that Cho's strengths were limited. I admired her work as an editor for Poetry Magazine, but I questioned whether she was capable of writing poetry.
Reading the book again, I'm struck by how much my perspective has changed. These poems do center around food, but they aren't about that—it's more accurate to say they are stories told through food. Cho exhibits restraint, not limitation as I first thought, as she gestures toward tenderness in each piece. These poems begin and end in humility. They argue for care as the ultimate poetic act—the way a bone is removed from a stew to prevent injury; the way peeling fruit is a love language.
Simply lovely.
March 9, 2023
I feel lukewarm about this collection, though I will say that Cho really knows how to draw out specific details that trigger the senses with her descriptions of food in particular. “Fermented” is a great example of the senses at work to describe the process of making kimchi. In addition, Cho seamlessly weaves her Korean culture and American upbringing into her collection, treating beliefs and customs with great care. I think what made me feel eh about this collection, though, was its structure. I wasn’t entirely sure why certain poems were included, appeared in the position they did, etc. There wasn’t as much of a flow that pulled me in the way some other collections would. That being said, a handful of these poems make for great standalones.
Some Favorites: “The Old Man in White Has Given My Mother a Ripe Persimmon Again,” “Fermented,” “Aubade with Metal Spoon,” and “Remember This When You’re Hungry”
Some Favorites: “The Old Man in White Has Given My Mother a Ripe Persimmon Again,” “Fermented,” “Aubade with Metal Spoon,” and “Remember This When You’re Hungry”
January 27, 2023
Honestly good debut book! Has a lot of cool moments. Su Cho does a great job writing about her relationship with the Korean language, some good grandparents and friends poems, and cool inclusion of Korean mythology. Also two abecedarian poems that are actually really solid? In one poetry book?? That’s a powerhouse.
I will be excited to read Cho’s future poetry. I expect it only goes up from here.
I will be excited to read Cho’s future poetry. I expect it only goes up from here.
December 14, 2022
rare that i like every poem in a collection - a nice palate cleanse compared to what i’ve been reading lately:)
January 28, 2023
read this in one sitting and plan on reading it again. Dr. Cho is my poetry professor and i am constantly in awe of her writing and teaching. found so many poems to love in here
August 3, 2025
50/50 on these with my current understanding of her work
October 30, 2023
If you are reading a poetry collection and then have to put it down because it punched you in the gut too hard… chances are it’s a pretty good poetry collection. Also, this collection had the best abcedarians I’ve ever read.
August 30, 2024
Been meaning to read this one a while and it finally came in at the library. Gorgeously written, ocean deep poetry about going through your life. Definitely worth a read through.
February 24, 2023
There were some poems I didn’t get but some that deeply resonated with me, mostly in part 2, particularly, “a little cheonyeo gwishin appears in my kitchen”, “ode to putting in the window AC unit”, “my bed shakes and I assume the ghosts are finally getting me” and “open diskectomy”
March 1, 2023
3.5/5
• Pretty cover!
• When I started reading this book, I was initially underwhelmed by the poems, but the further I read, the more they grew on me.
• I didn’t like every poem, but for the handful that I enjoyed, I’m rounding up to 4 stars.
• I enjoy how Su Cho integrates magical realism and Korean folklore into her poetry— it’s very creative!
• My favorites:
- 밤: (v) to give death; (n) chestnut, night
- After the burial, the dead take everything that burns
- A little cheonyeo gwishin appears in my kitchen
- Bowl of fat
- The cheonyeo gwishin marries me
- Ode to the New York heat wave
- 봉숭아: (n) garden balsams, touch-me-nots
- In the middle of the highway, there is a garden
• A solid, easy-to-get-through read. I’m looking forward to Su Cho’s future works!
• Pretty cover!
• When I started reading this book, I was initially underwhelmed by the poems, but the further I read, the more they grew on me.
• I didn’t like every poem, but for the handful that I enjoyed, I’m rounding up to 4 stars.
• I enjoy how Su Cho integrates magical realism and Korean folklore into her poetry— it’s very creative!
• My favorites:
- 밤: (v) to give death; (n) chestnut, night
- After the burial, the dead take everything that burns
- A little cheonyeo gwishin appears in my kitchen
- Bowl of fat
- The cheonyeo gwishin marries me
- Ode to the New York heat wave
- 봉숭아: (n) garden balsams, touch-me-nots
- In the middle of the highway, there is a garden
• A solid, easy-to-get-through read. I’m looking forward to Su Cho’s future works!
November 6, 2024
From "How to Say Water"—
(I've butchered the formatting 😞)
how some don’t understand that we can miss people next to us / how space disappears by sitting with someone in a car not saying / anything because / when we step too close to bliss our bodies stop to wonder if they / have to jump-start our atoms again
From "Another Door to the Moon"—
Please, start from the top and try to follow"Ode to the New York Heat Wave"
along. I wish you could borrow
my body to say water.
This is the easiest way I can help you say 물
because I could never help my parents
say girl, ice cream, parfait.
My family discovered each other in a houseFrom "Abecedarian for ESL in West Lafayette, Indiana"—
during a heat wave. The five of us,
on the bare floor, trying not to touch
each other, breathe too loud, and
inching closer to the window. My sister
is the youngest and won’t stop crying.
She asks if we’re poor now, if she has to go
get a job. We laugh, congratulate her
for being able to see the bigger picture.
At night, my dad orders buffalo chicken pies,
vodka pies, a classic pepperoni, and as many
cold liters of Coke we want, keeping our mouths
full and quiet. We broker
bathroom time like strangers
meeting for the first time
every morning.
Look, English was my second language butFrom "Ergonomics"—
My tongue was new.
...
Versions of my selves in ESL exist but I was held there after proficiency.
Who else would translate for the teachers, my parents, and Sunny’s parents?
X was for xylophones, X-rays, and now xenophobia.
Yes, that’s too on the nose, but things on your nose are hardest to see.
(I've butchered the formatting 😞)
how some don’t understand that we can miss people next to us / how space disappears by sitting with someone in a car not saying / anything because / when we step too close to bliss our bodies stop to wonder if they / have to jump-start our atoms again
From "Another Door to the Moon"—
Every time I see something cool
and point it out to someone
it sneaks behind a building,
shrinks itself, camera-shy
February 21, 2024
A collection of poems about identity, culture, family, and language.
from Through the Fissures: "I look at the meat on / display and think—how // tender. I know the smallest bones / hide themselves // in the plush cuts of meat."
from Tangerine Trees and Little Bags of Sugar: "As I frown and complain that these pears even from Jersey aren't sweet, she tells me to be thankful and reminds me that if I can't shave the skin off these pears I will never get married. Be grateful that I get to pick this fruit."
from Ergonomics: "because / when we step too close to bliss our bodies stop to wonder if they / have to jump-start our atoms again"
from Through the Fissures: "I look at the meat on / display and think—how // tender. I know the smallest bones / hide themselves // in the plush cuts of meat."
from Tangerine Trees and Little Bags of Sugar: "As I frown and complain that these pears even from Jersey aren't sweet, she tells me to be thankful and reminds me that if I can't shave the skin off these pears I will never get married. Be grateful that I get to pick this fruit."
from Ergonomics: "because / when we step too close to bliss our bodies stop to wonder if they / have to jump-start our atoms again"
April 6, 2023
it’s hard to review poetry!!! I liked it but didn’t love it— I think it came down to the line breaks, and lack of deep exploration of themes (death, family, marriage, you know the usual!) that were hinted at. I really enjoyed the language and pacing, which was obvious in some of the more prose like poems. I found it a bit understaded and underexplained, which is the opposite of how I feel of most poetry collections.
favorites: ergonomics, mug club, open diskectomy, loop spurs and New Years on rockland
favorites: ergonomics, mug club, open diskectomy, loop spurs and New Years on rockland
February 21, 2024
abecebarian for esl in west Lafayette, Indiana (ibuprofen, I say. I am seven/ just learned the word because Sunny sputtered / Korean that they're painkillers.)
we are all dying slowly
purlicues (by the end of this poem, I am always / surprised when he says, I let you do it once before. this time, I will ask if he remembers/ that purlicue means the end of discourse, the place between your thumb / and forefinger - where I hold you to see if you are finally ready.)
봉숭아: garden balsams, touch me nots
we are all dying slowly
purlicues (by the end of this poem, I am always / surprised when he says, I let you do it once before. this time, I will ask if he remembers/ that purlicue means the end of discourse, the place between your thumb / and forefinger - where I hold you to see if you are finally ready.)
봉숭아: garden balsams, touch me nots
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December 12, 2024I liked this collection more and more as it went on; after the more obvious diaspora themes and imagery gave way to a greater granularity of experience and feeling, shaped by sentiment and nostalgia tethered to images and words surfacing out of oceans of disorientation and unplacedness. Maybe I responded to them because they resonated more closely with my own memories; the way you have to make peace with the things that have made you who you are, in the everyday, in the slippage between moments and people.
March 13, 2024
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December 12, 2024
Because this poetry collection won the National Poetry Series, I don't feel I should give it a rating below 4 just because it didn't click with me. This surprised me. I love the title so much I probably bought it for that reason. I love Asian poetry in general, so I can't explain why I wasn't more impressed. It may be because I'm more than halfway through Margaret Atwood's collection, Paper Boat, over sixty years of mostly dark, mysterious, captivating poems.
September 29, 2025
For readers who grew up in Asian families, Su Cho’s The Symmetry of Fish will feel instantly familiar. Her poems capture not just images but textures of Asian living—the rituals around food, the weight of language, the quiet negotiations between heritage and assimilation. The collection is both picturesque and piercing, a tapestry of memory and identity that speaks to the intimate, sometimes unspoken, truths of growing up between cultures.
March 19, 2023
I didn't get it. While I don't read poetry often, I do add some in now and then to expand my horizons. I've read some that I've really enjoyed, some in the middle, and some, like this one, I can't connect to at all. I couldn't find a style to them that lead to engagement or a flow in reading them. Wouldn't return to this writer or volume again.
April 18, 2023
This poetry collection dealt with so many themes I enjoy - immigration, identity, culture. It also had a bit of body horror, which I wasn't expecting! I'm kind of squeamish, so that didn't work so well for me. I think the poetry itself was solid, although it didn't quite resonate with me as much as I would have liked.
Content Warnings:
body horror, animal death, racism, microaggressions
Content Warnings:
body horror, animal death, racism, microaggressions
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews