Let Me Tell You About This Book I Just Read...

When R.C. Taylor reached out to me to offer to send me a copy of her brand new chapbook to read and review, I was so excited! (Also a bit nervous, to be honest, since book reviews are not something I have previously published on Vocal haha)

This book was very kindly gifted to me but this review is my honest opinion.

I've been a reader (and a fan!) of R.C. Taylor's work here on Vocal for awhile now and have especially enjoyed her take on the recent Limerick Challenge. She stretched the prompt creatively and came up with some really thought-provoking and DEEP poetry out of what was pitched as a funny, lighthearted challenge!

So...the chapbook...let's get to it! Any text (other than poem titles) that I am pulling directly from her book will be in blockquotes in this review.

Cognitive Dissonance

a chapbook of serious limericks

...when I first saw the title I was thoroughly intrigued. What I did not expect was that it would perfectly fit the contents (and the emotions) of the book... I have often seen titles that seem to have been chosen solely for how they sound or look. I did not realize that the author actually has a graduate degree in Psychology until I had read the book. Now it makes complete sense!

Cognitive Dissonance subverts the limerick poetry style to capture the discordance of existing in and letting go of an unhealthy relationship.

ooooh...yes, please. I absolutely love the idea of choosing what is usually an amusing poetry form as a base from which to highlight such a difficult and serious theme.

This book does come with a content warning (thanks so much for providing that, by the way!) which I will copy for you to see here before I get into any specifics...

Content Warning: this chapbook contains discussion of emotional abuse, infidelity, and suicidal ideation as well as brief mentions of child abuse and strong language.

This book is a JOURNEY through the stages and phases in a... certain relationship. Starting with the beautiful and lyrical descriptions of early feelings of love and appreciation in the first offering, fugue, through the gut-wrenching choices and revelations in what I wish I did, and "how do you not piss your friends off?" , to the strength of the decisions made in healing is what I choose for me and the disparate feelings in swimming home, the poetry in this book and the accompanying artwork tell a painful and mesmerizing story.

There is love, longing, anger, betrayal, forgiveness, cyclical regret, personal growth, hope... what more could you want?

I certainly don't want to give too much away in this review but I've pulled a few of my absolute favorite lines and images from a few of the 20 poems that form this book (with permission, of course!) to share with you.

First up: lines and image excerpted from fugue

"...I just want your pianist hands to cup the rib caged bird that is my heart fluttering between us..."

I mean... come on. The image those words created paired with the visual depiction just wrapped their fingers like a vice around my soul!

Next: lines and image excerpted from I'm the love of your life...until I make you mad

"...did they all make it? the people. did they hide in here like me and wonder how they got shipwrecked in this bathroom, crying their own sea?"

The way the words in this poem pour out amidst the tears of the image in the book...it is truly beautiful!

Finally: line and image excerpted from what a wish i'd be

what if i quietly disappeared one day just like your counterfeit love...

Okay....let me just process that for another few years. I think anyone who has escaped a failing/flailing relationship can probably see a bit of themselves in this poem!

I loved this book...I DEVOURED it...and then I returned to it and chewed on it for quite a while! I suspect I will again and again.

I've heard that if a book review doesn't have anything negative to say, then people don't think it is genuine... hmmm....I'm trying but I'm really having to stretch here!

Mayyyyybe you wouldn't like this book if you just can't get past limericks being serious instead of silly? Or if you don't want to deep dive into the beautiful and complicated emotions of a bad relationship?

That's all I've got for negatives, sorry!

To order R.C. Taylor's chapbook, please check out this link!

To see more of her work here on Vocal, click here!