A review by sonyahu
Milk & Filth by Carmen Gimenez Smith

5.0

I read this book in one breathless sitting, and I felt like a changed person after reading it. The lines and perspectives, and the honesty, worm their way into one's mind, and I felt the way I used to feel as an undergraduate, reading works that I wanted to keep near me and slip into my backpack. I'm not a poet, and I don't know what forms she's working in, but it didn't matter; the language was vivid and challenging, but never felt as though she was writing to impress with wordplay. I have so many favorites here, including the extended numbered list, "Parts of an Autobiography." She takes on our deepest fears: "I'm a Shitty Parent" and "I'm the Shitty Friend writing valentines. I modify everything." This is gripping, creating the kind of reading experience that danced just beyond my grasp but still spoke to me with honesty and searing intellect.