The Silence Living in Houses

by Esther Morgan

The Silence Living in Houses unlocks the doors to houses of secrets and dreams where ghosts of the past are more real than the living. In unsettling poems rich with intrigue, Esther Morgan traces the presence of those whose stories are fading like the the servant girl who smashed the dinner service and disappeared; the sisters whose macabre end is still spoken of in whispers; the mistress who breathes sweet nothings from behind the roses. At the heart of the book is the darkest of interiors where the threat and practice of violence forges a bond as unbreakable as the Mafia's code. But not all these houses are the final poems summon up the haunted blood of family, revealing how what remains unspoken is as much concerned with love as it is with loss.

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Emma Forsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written haunting poetry about houses with secrets and dreams whose ghosts are more real than the living. Esther Morgan writes about the domestic space, the women who have lived there and who still live there. The collection is divided into 3 parts: The House Of, The Silence Living in Houses and Are You Homesick for the House of Cards? The House Of is about the past and the women who were part of the space. Slowly throughout the first part, the Victorian ghost(s) turns from objective history to imaginary to created by the the first person voice. (hot with impatience to exist).
Esther Morgan then continues to pen slight disbelief of the ghost existence to "The Ghost of This House" where the boundaries starts to intrigue. My favorite poems from this collection are: The Ghost of This House,House-breaking, House Rules, House of Mirrors, Why Don't You Just Leave and Firelighter. It's theme: women - the domestic space/houses is kept refreshingly current. Rather than telling gothic stories of the past and its women this collection speaks to your heart and soul here and now, and it frightens as much as it seduces.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this book while traveling in Italy. She's one of my favorite poets and I had never heard of her before. It is
a pleasure of image and language that I only wish I could achieve in my own work.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book having read Esther Morgan's later work, which I liked immensely. I love the spare way she uses language, and her deft handling of difficult subject matter. Always her work speaks of some kind of unfulfilled yearning, and of another world somehow just out of reach. Magical stuff.

[Sophie Cayeux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13742665

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, haunting, unsettling, sad, evocative. I've found a new favourite poet me thinks.