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Paul Short's Review of 'Welcome to the Museum of a Life'

The Book Bag

My thanks to Paul Short for including this review on The Book Bag. Click link above to visit his site. 

Welcome To The Museum Of A Life

  • Poet: Sue Finch
  • Press: Black Eyes Publishing UK

First off, I’ll say I’m a fan of Sue Finch and we interact regularly on weekly prompts notably on TopTweetTuesday. Her shadow photos with dandelions as eyes are always good to see and uplifting.

Welcome To The Museum Of A Life is in sections as a gallery would be. Readers enter through the Foyer, exiting the collection via the Gift Shop as is proper in many museums. So without further ado, lets not get tangled in the entry gates and get on our way…

One of Sue’s main strengths in poetry is her ability to weave emotion and authenticity throughout her work. Poems including ‘Tuesday Night’ and ‘Silence’ display this incredibly well. I loved the poem ‘Peacock’ for its transition of emotion from amused observer to caring participant by the end. ‘When I am Gone’, one of the collection’s final pieces made me smile and tear up. ‘That Coin’ made me smile again and kept me smiling because of how purely and real falling in love is described.

Another skill that is showcased throughout is imagery. ‘My Hybrid Heart’, ‘When I Saw Jesus In A Tomato’ and ‘An Apple For My Mum’  are all prime examples of how to establish a scene that can feel so familiar and recognisable that you think this poem gets me and I get this poem.

Sue is deft at surrealist poetry too. The piece ‘I Hate You’ opens with an interaction between narrator and cow, a heron and an unknown bird. One of my favourite pieces ‘A Pelican Is Dancing On The Patio’ explores perception incredibly. ‘I’ve Nothing To Offer The White Horse In The Dream’ feels like a reckoning and I flinched on reading (I do have a slight fear of horses).

I’ve already discussed the book being divided into galleries. Another point to mention is that the galleries are varied in their themes and as in any good museum, a list of curated exhibits are introduced before you step in. Keep an eye out for the ‘Museum Of A Life: The Unexhibited’ which takes us behind the no entry signs to see what could be rotated in.

This curated collection will appeal to readers who enjoy their poetry underpinned by vivid imagery and honest emotion. Fans of surrealism and dreamscapes will enjoy this book. If you like visiting museums, you’ll love this book. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the exhibits and my gift shop budget is too small to buy all the trinkets I’d like. Definitely one of the best museums I’ve visited.

To read more about Sue, click here or here which is Sue’s Silver Branch feature on Black Bough Poetry where you can read some of her work.

To buy Welcome To The  Museum Of A Life, click here.

Favourite Poem:

There are a few to choose from this week so I’ll go for seven! In no particular order, as I am writing I’ll go for; ‘A Pelican Is Dancing On The Patio’, ‘When I Am Gone’, ‘That Coin’, ‘Invitation’, ‘I Don’t Know’, ‘Digging That Hole’ and ‘Rescuing The Giraffe.

 

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