Postcards from the Imagination

Review copies of Richard Siken's "Crush," winner of the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition. Powerful work. Disturbing. Original. I sat up late last night reading the first half, and finished the second half this morning. I couldn't put it down.

Something about it reminds me of Dave Eggers's "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," which oddly enough, I didn't like.  Siken's voice is similar to Eggers's when Eggers sounds darkly frantic.  Siken, however, is relentless. There is less irony, and much less levity to soften the hurt. Not the soul analyzing itself from a distance, but body, heart, and mind in the moment.

We definately need someone to review this for us.

Actually, I have to confess that I didn't read AHWOSG past the scene on the beach where he's having that absurd conversation with some girl about destroying the world anew each each day. It gave me the same kind of sick feeling I got trying to listen to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy philosophize on the train in "Before Sunrise."  Was I ever that stupid? Probably, but that's why I've no desire to resurrect my teenaged acid trips for use in a memoire or film. It doesn't strike me as brave, just dumb.