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steph_84's review
4.0
I enjoy the sense of humour in Toby Fitch’s poems, the political direction clear but the precise message scrambled, leaving the reader the job of either untangling or just rolling with it.
Once someone asked me what kind of poetry I liked and in my rambling answer I said “why write meandery poems about flowers or rain when there are so many more important things going on?!”. Here any cliches are with a raised eyebrow, tongue firmly in cheek, and a whole lot of carefully-constructed chaos. It creates a sense of restlessness that I relate to and appreciate.
I also enjoyed the parts about his young kids. It’s… I can’t think of a word that’s not patronising for such a successful poet… Leadership? Authenticity? Anyway, it was nice.
Once someone asked me what kind of poetry I liked and in my rambling answer I said “why write meandery poems about flowers or rain when there are so many more important things going on?!”. Here any cliches are with a raised eyebrow, tongue firmly in cheek, and a whole lot of carefully-constructed chaos. It creates a sense of restlessness that I relate to and appreciate.
I also enjoyed the parts about his young kids. It’s… I can’t think of a word that’s not patronising for such a successful poet… Leadership? Authenticity? Anyway, it was nice.
elginmarbles's review
5.0
I didn't expect to power through this in one sitting, but Sydney Spleen drew me in and kept me hooked. It's really great to see another collection from Toby, a former teacher of mine - and even lovelier, when I bought these at my local bookshop, I was told he used to work there! It's wonderful to read stories about Sydney, and specifically the inner western suburbs in the context of the pandemic which Toby paints to a tee. Worth a read if you're after some 5 star contemporary, local poetry.
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