*This is a book review of Home Body by Rupi Kaur.
Quick Facts
Author: Rupi Kaur
Release Date: November 17, 2020
Genre: Poetry
Number of Pages: 192
SJ Rating: 95%
The Synopsis
This is Rupi Kaur’s third poetry book, and just like the other two, it is full of honest, vulnerable poems that make you think & pull at the heart strings.
The Review
Since this is an easy read poetry book, this literary review is going to be a bit different from the recent reviews. After this section, I will share some of my favorite shorter poems, like I did with the milk and honey review.
Anyway, Rupi Kaur goes right for the jugular on the first page, and I knew I was in for a whirlwind of emotions, more than I was with the other books. The beginning completely shattered my heart and had me in tears.
Topics she covered in this book include: healing, abuse, relationships (with others and with self), sex (the good & the bad; just look at page 89), the climate crisis, the toxicity of productivity culture, and civil rights issues. Honestly, I really liked the bits about self-pleasure and masturbation; as I’m coming into my own as an adult, I’m getting more comfortable talking & reading about it.
There’s not much I can say about this book besides she’s done it again; everything about this collection of poetry is absolutely beautiful and absolutely necessary, given today’s times.
Also, very random: I’ve always been a fan of her poems being written in lowercase.
The Poems
These are some of my favorite short poems from this collection of Rupi’s Home Body poetry:
“my mind keeps running off to dark corners
and coming back with reasons for
why i am not enough”
“i fear that
my best years are behind me
and nothing beyond this point will add up”
“we were always in survival mode
long after we didn’t need to be
– habit“
“quiet down i begged my mind
your overthinking is
robbing us of joy“
The Overall
This collection of Rupi’s poems felt more personal and vulnerable, though some of the topics were similar to the other two collections. I had to reread several of the poems because they cut real deep.
I can’t wait to hear these poems live; I just need to hurry and get my ticket first.
Next book to be read and reviewed: All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
“our pain is the doorway to our joy”
-Rupi Kaur
