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The Smallest of Bones
A haunting ossuary of tiny poems covering a wide range of topics such as love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness. The Smallest of Bones guides those on an intimate journey of body acceptance, with sparse words dedicated to peeling back skin and diving bone-deep into the self. Raw, honest, and powerful, this collection is an offering to those struggling to find power in the darkness.
90 pages, Paperback
Published September 26, 2021
1 person is currently reading
2308 people want to read
About the author
Holly Lyn Walrath
49 books41 followersSee Holly Walrath.
Holly Lyn Walrath’s poetry and short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, Luna Station Quarterly, Liminality, and elsewhere. Her chapbook of words and images, Glimmerglass Girl, will be published by Finishing Line Press in 2018. She holds a B.A. in English from The University of Texas and a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Denver. She is a freelance editor and host of The Weird Circular, an e-newsletter for writers containing submission calls and writing prompts. Find her online at her website.or on Twitter.
Holly Lyn Walrath’s poetry and short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, Luna Station Quarterly, Liminality, and elsewhere. Her chapbook of words and images, Glimmerglass Girl, will be published by Finishing Line Press in 2018. She holds a B.A. in English from The University of Texas and a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Denver. She is a freelance editor and host of The Weird Circular, an e-newsletter for writers containing submission calls and writing prompts. Find her online at her website.or on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
July 20, 2021
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Smallest of Bones is a poetry collection consisting of bite-sized poems covering a wide range of topics from: love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness. The poems are arranged along the structural format of a human skeleton, starting from the cranium and working down to the temporal bones of the body. Each skeletal section is introduced to the reader through a mix of scientific, historical, mythological, and etymological information on the bones with the author adding their own personal interpretation at the end. The poems themselves are minimalistic, with the intention of stripping back the layers and exposing the raw essence of the self.
Initially, I was intrigued by the unusual format and premise of this collection. I generally tend to dislike contemporary poetry especially those that emulate the Rupi Kaur style of writing: lowercase lines that don't follow rules of grammar or punctuation; short, easily digestible verses that look great as social media quotes but are so superficial in their meaning that it rarely warrants any kind of in depth analysis. This collection of poetry, despite its interesting format, follows more or less in that same vein.
These poems are neither “haunting” nor “dark” ; they barely skim the surface of a topic before erratically flitting into another. The poems touch on some serious themes such as queer sexuality, gender, female body, violence and abuse in a relationship, etc. without offering any insight. Rather than “raw, honest, and powerful” it feels very shallow, superficial, and insincere. I felt no connection to any of these entries and they left no lasting impact.
The writing itself is so vague as to be devoid of any logical meaning; the metaphors stretched to their illogical limits come off as endlessly pretentious. What feels like an attempt at being profound ended up slightly comical in an ironic way. I imagine these are the type of poems Jughead from Riverdale might end up reading in his spare time. Poetry is, by its very nature, a deeply personal experience open to reader interpretation. But when the poems themselves are a confused mess of half baked metaphors, vague to the point of incoherence then it hardly warrants any further analysis.
The Smallest of Bones is a poetry collection consisting of bite-sized poems covering a wide range of topics from: love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness. The poems are arranged along the structural format of a human skeleton, starting from the cranium and working down to the temporal bones of the body. Each skeletal section is introduced to the reader through a mix of scientific, historical, mythological, and etymological information on the bones with the author adding their own personal interpretation at the end. The poems themselves are minimalistic, with the intention of stripping back the layers and exposing the raw essence of the self.
Initially, I was intrigued by the unusual format and premise of this collection. I generally tend to dislike contemporary poetry especially those that emulate the Rupi Kaur style of writing: lowercase lines that don't follow rules of grammar or punctuation; short, easily digestible verses that look great as social media quotes but are so superficial in their meaning that it rarely warrants any kind of in depth analysis. This collection of poetry, despite its interesting format, follows more or less in that same vein.
These poems are neither “haunting” nor “dark” ; they barely skim the surface of a topic before erratically flitting into another. The poems touch on some serious themes such as queer sexuality, gender, female body, violence and abuse in a relationship, etc. without offering any insight. Rather than “raw, honest, and powerful” it feels very shallow, superficial, and insincere. I felt no connection to any of these entries and they left no lasting impact.
The writing itself is so vague as to be devoid of any logical meaning; the metaphors stretched to their illogical limits come off as endlessly pretentious. What feels like an attempt at being profound ended up slightly comical in an ironic way. I imagine these are the type of poems Jughead from Riverdale might end up reading in his spare time. Poetry is, by its very nature, a deeply personal experience open to reader interpretation. But when the poems themselves are a confused mess of half baked metaphors, vague to the point of incoherence then it hardly warrants any further analysis.
Read
September 20, 2021⚜ poetry review ⚜
my body is two-thirds
whiskey
and one-third
ghosts
ABSOLUTELY. FRAKKING. STUNNING POETRY.
I think we write about ourselves so we can become creatures
we wish we could get out of our skin
Walrath is an excellent poet and I cannot wait to read more of her poetry. ♡♡♡
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
my body is two-thirds
whiskey
and one-third
ghosts
ABSOLUTELY. FRAKKING. STUNNING POETRY.
I think we write about ourselves so we can become creatures
we wish we could get out of our skin
Walrath is an excellent poet and I cannot wait to read more of her poetry. ♡♡♡
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
May 3, 2021
this poetry collection was a simple and fast read. it's really short, but i quite enjoyed reading it. i didn't fully connect with the writing style, it was way too simple (?) idk how to explain it 😂 and the synopsis seemed sooo intriguing, but ended up being not at all like it says lmaoo but still, if you want something warm and quick to read - i would recommend this. nothing too impressive, but somehow still warming at times xx
June 24, 2021
"i think we write about ourselves so we can become creatures"
Walrath's poetry collection was short but impactful. her choice to group the poems in sections based on different bones in the body felt unique and i especially loved the pages where she introduced these bones; mixing up anatomical descriptions with powerful poetry.
this poetry collection felt insightful, meaningful and unique with a beautiful cover, and it's one i would love to revisit to find even more meaning in.
"hiding our hearts is easy when we have so many bones"
November 14, 2024
The Smallest of Bones is a decent, short, poetry collection themed around different bones in the human body. The descriptions were well-written, but the poetry mostly consists of only a line or two, a few words.
This style of poetry has been very much “in style” since the social media age has boomed. It depends if the reader prefers this style or not to how much they will enjoy it. All down to personal preference. I do wish there had been some more details here, as the writer’s longer form writing was so gorgeous. It is only around 70 pages long.
This collection is ”an offering to those struggling to find power in the darkness” - this concept is very thoughtful and beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley/the publisher for the ARC. 🖤
3 Stars
This style of poetry has been very much “in style” since the social media age has boomed. It depends if the reader prefers this style or not to how much they will enjoy it. All down to personal preference. I do wish there had been some more details here, as the writer’s longer form writing was so gorgeous. It is only around 70 pages long.
This collection is ”an offering to those struggling to find power in the darkness” - this concept is very thoughtful and beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley/the publisher for the ARC. 🖤
3 Stars
July 15, 2021
"Hiding our hearts is easy when we have so many bones"
Few words carry vast and complex meaning, like the smallest of bones carrying the heaviest burdens in this body of poems by Holly Lyn Walrath...
Poetry has always been the hardest genre to review for me as the experience is so deeply personal to every reader. In this case, I might also be highly biased as a med-student with a fascination with all things body and anatomy. Add to that the exploration of themes such as gender, passion, relationships, death and ghosts, and you have something completely up my alley. Although almost impossible, I’ll try to split this review in an “objective”, and a completely subjective part, in hopes of helping more readers assess if this is the right fit for them.
“Objectively”, I like to judge poetry mostly on the question of does the form support the content. In this case that is a definitive YES. The poems are minimalistic and structural, mimicking an almost skeletal form. They strip the described experiences down to the bone, leaving the reader to reconstruct the body around it.
Each poem is made up of a short introduction of a bone and its function and structure in the body, followed by a musing on the above mentioned themes that somehow relate to this particular bone. It makes for a coherent and logical structure throughout that hold the poems together like ligaments.
For this structure to work however, it’s key that the lay-out of the pages is exactly as intended, which in the e-book isn’t always the case. I hope the publisher will be able to fix this issue, so that Kindle-readers can experience the poems as intended as well.
The more subjective reason I related to this collection has to do with my personal experiences. As a soon-to-be-doctor, but also a cancer-survivor and patient with a chronic degenerative illness, my relationship with “the body” is… well… complicated. I adore the human body; its intricacies, its strength and its deeply flawed fragility. I’m also terrified and filled with dread over it. This collection mirrors that feeling somewhat. It’s haunting and simultaneously filled with apprehensive love.
All in all, I truly hope this collection finds its audience. Some readers will find it too bare-bone, but in the hands of fans of this genre it’s an absolute masterpiece.
Many thanks to the author and CLASH Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Few words carry vast and complex meaning, like the smallest of bones carrying the heaviest burdens in this body of poems by Holly Lyn Walrath...
Poetry has always been the hardest genre to review for me as the experience is so deeply personal to every reader. In this case, I might also be highly biased as a med-student with a fascination with all things body and anatomy. Add to that the exploration of themes such as gender, passion, relationships, death and ghosts, and you have something completely up my alley. Although almost impossible, I’ll try to split this review in an “objective”, and a completely subjective part, in hopes of helping more readers assess if this is the right fit for them.
“Objectively”, I like to judge poetry mostly on the question of does the form support the content. In this case that is a definitive YES. The poems are minimalistic and structural, mimicking an almost skeletal form. They strip the described experiences down to the bone, leaving the reader to reconstruct the body around it.
Each poem is made up of a short introduction of a bone and its function and structure in the body, followed by a musing on the above mentioned themes that somehow relate to this particular bone. It makes for a coherent and logical structure throughout that hold the poems together like ligaments.
For this structure to work however, it’s key that the lay-out of the pages is exactly as intended, which in the e-book isn’t always the case. I hope the publisher will be able to fix this issue, so that Kindle-readers can experience the poems as intended as well.
The more subjective reason I related to this collection has to do with my personal experiences. As a soon-to-be-doctor, but also a cancer-survivor and patient with a chronic degenerative illness, my relationship with “the body” is… well… complicated. I adore the human body; its intricacies, its strength and its deeply flawed fragility. I’m also terrified and filled with dread over it. This collection mirrors that feeling somewhat. It’s haunting and simultaneously filled with apprehensive love.
All in all, I truly hope this collection finds its audience. Some readers will find it too bare-bone, but in the hands of fans of this genre it’s an absolute masterpiece.
Many thanks to the author and CLASH Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2021
I did not like this poetry collection. I've read a lot of poetry collections lately and it's so strange how the most recent ones are all clipped and follow the same, short, bite-sized and Tumblr-stylized type of writing style.
I found the beginning of this book interesting, and I enjoyed a selective few of the descriptions and poems, but as it progressed, I think it lacked a good writing style, concise topics and depth.
The book tried to be 'deep' but it touched upon topics briefly and then was either extremely vague/abstract about them or never even made a point.
The majority of these poems did not make sense whatsoever. I do not like books that try to be 'abstract' by confusing the living daylights out of their readers, and this short and boring style of writing is not my taste.
Here's an example of a confusing poem from the book: (there's plenty more where that came from)
"honestly, I'd like to know what it's like to love a woman as a woman,
I'd like to be honest
honestly, I'd like to know what it's like to be a woman,
see how you're still fu*king me up even now that you're a ghost
these secrets you carry for me,
are they too heavy?"
I'm not even joking, this was the actual format of the poem. There were long spaces between each sentence that I condensed to make more readable and it seems like something a person would scribble onto a piece of paper after witnessing a vivid dream at three in the morning. Is this what modern poetry has succumbed to? And don't even get me started on the lack of punctuation, despicable.
What does the above poem even mean? Is the author alluding to a gay ghost? Is the author saying they're not a woman? Is the author questioning their sexuality? I DON'T KNOW. This is not even abstract poetry, it's just poetry that has literally no comprehensive structure or material to it.
Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own.
I found the beginning of this book interesting, and I enjoyed a selective few of the descriptions and poems, but as it progressed, I think it lacked a good writing style, concise topics and depth.
The book tried to be 'deep' but it touched upon topics briefly and then was either extremely vague/abstract about them or never even made a point.
The majority of these poems did not make sense whatsoever. I do not like books that try to be 'abstract' by confusing the living daylights out of their readers, and this short and boring style of writing is not my taste.
Here's an example of a confusing poem from the book: (there's plenty more where that came from)
"honestly, I'd like to know what it's like to love a woman as a woman,
I'd like to be honest
honestly, I'd like to know what it's like to be a woman,
see how you're still fu*king me up even now that you're a ghost
these secrets you carry for me,
are they too heavy?"
I'm not even joking, this was the actual format of the poem. There were long spaces between each sentence that I condensed to make more readable and it seems like something a person would scribble onto a piece of paper after witnessing a vivid dream at three in the morning. Is this what modern poetry has succumbed to? And don't even get me started on the lack of punctuation, despicable.
What does the above poem even mean? Is the author alluding to a gay ghost? Is the author saying they're not a woman? Is the author questioning their sexuality? I DON'T KNOW. This is not even abstract poetry, it's just poetry that has literally no comprehensive structure or material to it.
Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own.
May 26, 2021
"my body is two-thirds
whiskey
and one-third
ghosts"
A short and haunting collection of dark poetry centered on the bones of the human body, identity, and relationships. There were some great lines that really resinated with me (see above) and I loved the interplay of the semi-scientific introductions to each section with the poems that followed. It was a very fast read, and was definitely left wanting more. I'm looking forward to seeing a hard copy of this, as I think the formatting of the eARC I read did not do the content any favors. Also, I love the cover of this book!
I am grateful to CLASH Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Smallest Bone.
whiskey
and one-third
ghosts"
A short and haunting collection of dark poetry centered on the bones of the human body, identity, and relationships. There were some great lines that really resinated with me (see above) and I loved the interplay of the semi-scientific introductions to each section with the poems that followed. It was a very fast read, and was definitely left wanting more. I'm looking forward to seeing a hard copy of this, as I think the formatting of the eARC I read did not do the content any favors. Also, I love the cover of this book!
I am grateful to CLASH Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Smallest Bone.
June 20, 2021
Walrath’s self-proclaimed weird poetry is collected in this book and is not broken down by topic but by bone.
We follow Walrath up and down the skeletal form of someone dealing with a variety of traumas and insecurities. What stood out most to me were relationships studded with abuse and body dysmorphia/acceptance.
From hardships to hope, any fan of poetry will find themselves engrossed in “The Smallest of Bones”!
In more personal thoughts, as someone who’s always enjoyed writing and reading poetry, I found lots to appreciate in this collection.
What I noticed first is that Walrath constructed the table of contents in such a way that it reads as a poem itself. I love that you can easily see how these poems fit together in the collection, but it is also clear that they can stand alone.
I’m also a fan of visual poetry—seeing how putting words in different places, and breaking lines in different points changed meaning (or amplifies it)! I’m sure I’ll be reading and re-reading a few times to truly see the different meanings Walrath wrote.
—Even Further (Personal) Thoughts—
I couldn’t leave this post without discussing my own obsession with a book like this. I am a funeral director (intern) by trade, but I first studied anthropology, with a focus in biology. Basically, I love bones.
For years, I’ve been obsessed with the stories bones can tell. I even did a project based on Lynda Barry’s “One! Hundred! Demons!” called “206 Bones” where I wrote vignettes based on my life that followed various bones in my body.
I loved to see a similar (albeit very different) idea played out and published here! I’m in love with this book! ❤️
We follow Walrath up and down the skeletal form of someone dealing with a variety of traumas and insecurities. What stood out most to me were relationships studded with abuse and body dysmorphia/acceptance.
From hardships to hope, any fan of poetry will find themselves engrossed in “The Smallest of Bones”!
In more personal thoughts, as someone who’s always enjoyed writing and reading poetry, I found lots to appreciate in this collection.
What I noticed first is that Walrath constructed the table of contents in such a way that it reads as a poem itself. I love that you can easily see how these poems fit together in the collection, but it is also clear that they can stand alone.
I’m also a fan of visual poetry—seeing how putting words in different places, and breaking lines in different points changed meaning (or amplifies it)! I’m sure I’ll be reading and re-reading a few times to truly see the different meanings Walrath wrote.
—Even Further (Personal) Thoughts—
I couldn’t leave this post without discussing my own obsession with a book like this. I am a funeral director (intern) by trade, but I first studied anthropology, with a focus in biology. Basically, I love bones.
For years, I’ve been obsessed with the stories bones can tell. I even did a project based on Lynda Barry’s “One! Hundred! Demons!” called “206 Bones” where I wrote vignettes based on my life that followed various bones in my body.
I loved to see a similar (albeit very different) idea played out and published here! I’m in love with this book! ❤️
Read
June 19, 2021I'm sorry, I just didn't "get" it. I really didn't feel intelligent enough for this and I can only apologise to the author for trying to read it when I know poetry isn't my thing. I'm trying to get more into it but I think it's time to accept that my brain isn't very good at understanding metaphors. I did enjoy the sections about the different bones though! I've not left a numbered rating on Goodreads, so as not to skew the review with my confused opinion!
October 20, 2021
I was really intrigued by the theme of this book and excited to read it, but my expectations were not matched . I liked the in-between short descriptions, some parts of the poems were beautifully written, too. The topics it tries to cover could be really interesting (ghosts, sexuality, love — among others) but the writing style of the poems and the actual poems didn’t really win me over. They appear to be, at least in my opinion, very simple and cheap. This whole thing reminds me of Rupi Kaur poetry which I also disliked.
May 2, 2021
I love the idea of this poetry collection, but i didnt fully connect to the authors writting style. I liked that she wrote little information to the specific body part at first and then the poem, that was really interesting!
This was an average read for me, but if u are interested in this book, u perhaps should consider picking it up!
(Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc)
This was an average read for me, but if u are interested in this book, u perhaps should consider picking it up!
(Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc)
September 10, 2021
I immediately became interested in this collection because this cover is *everything* and I would not rest until I had a copy. THOSE BONES! This is a thought-provoking collection of poems segmented out in a unique way into sections: cranium, mandible, sternum, sacrum, spine, calcaneus, and temporal. And there is a brief explanation or mythos around each bone with some spicy commentary as well.
The poems are all quite brief but can pack a punch you might not expect. A few hit deep and others made me want to take on an army of haters. A lot of emotions can be uncovered while reading these and I took my time with them, often re-reading some and reading them aloud. The collection feels extremely personal - and since our bones are about as deep and personal as we can be as humans, that makes a lot of sense.
These tiny poems are large with insight, making me remember certain things I was sure I had forgotten. There's a range of topics from love/romance, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons/ghosts, and more. Some of these poems will be ones I think of often. And one I already made a copy of and put it on my book cart. I want to look at it every day.
The poems are all quite brief but can pack a punch you might not expect. A few hit deep and others made me want to take on an army of haters. A lot of emotions can be uncovered while reading these and I took my time with them, often re-reading some and reading them aloud. The collection feels extremely personal - and since our bones are about as deep and personal as we can be as humans, that makes a lot of sense.
These tiny poems are large with insight, making me remember certain things I was sure I had forgotten. There's a range of topics from love/romance, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons/ghosts, and more. Some of these poems will be ones I think of often. And one I already made a copy of and put it on my book cart. I want to look at it every day.
August 2, 2021
2 stats ⭐⭐
First thing first and that's I liked the cover of this story.
Second thing:
I was excited to read The Smallest Of Bones because of the themes that are there in this poetry but those excitement doesn't live long.
This was presented very differently and I liked how there were explanations of different titles. That part was interesting.
Now coming to the poetries, in simple words I couldn't relate or felt the words or emotions. Or I think this poetry book isn't for me. I was rather confused most of the time than understanding it.
I will give the author her due credit for writing poetry on such versatile themes but sadly it didn't touch the mark for me.
It was a short read so I finished quickly so that's there.
Thank you, NetGalley, publisher, and author for providing me an ARC of this book.
This book is going to be published on 26, September 2021.
Review wrote on 1, August 2021
First thing first and that's I liked the cover of this story.
Second thing:
I was excited to read The Smallest Of Bones because of the themes that are there in this poetry but those excitement doesn't live long.
This was presented very differently and I liked how there were explanations of different titles. That part was interesting.
Now coming to the poetries, in simple words I couldn't relate or felt the words or emotions. Or I think this poetry book isn't for me. I was rather confused most of the time than understanding it.
I will give the author her due credit for writing poetry on such versatile themes but sadly it didn't touch the mark for me.
It was a short read so I finished quickly so that's there.
Thank you, NetGalley, publisher, and author for providing me an ARC of this book.
This book is going to be published on 26, September 2021.
Review wrote on 1, August 2021
September 29, 2021
“Pain is this human thing and without it we would be skeletons”
I don’t read much poetry, and most of the poetry I’ve read was for school and written by old white dead dudes. But when it comes to modern day poetry I have discovered that it is not men, but women who have set the bar.
I requested an eARC of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 because I couldn’t stop thinking about it’s stunning cover. I am happy to say the content within is just as good. Holly Lynn Walrath is definitely going to turn heads in the world of poetry with her artful words.
Poetry is unique in that you can give a room full of people the same piece, and each one of them would extract a different meaning based off their own life experiences and view of the world around them.
Our bones are white, structure, strength… But in between it is darkness, void, vulnerable. Life, death, love, sexuality, identity, ghosts all make themselves present… Holly’s words take the reader into these dark spaces with a haunting and raw exploration of everything we hold inside.
𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡.
If you’re looking for your first or next work of poetry, The Smallest of Bones is an excellent choice.
I don’t read much poetry, and most of the poetry I’ve read was for school and written by old white dead dudes. But when it comes to modern day poetry I have discovered that it is not men, but women who have set the bar.
I requested an eARC of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 because I couldn’t stop thinking about it’s stunning cover. I am happy to say the content within is just as good. Holly Lynn Walrath is definitely going to turn heads in the world of poetry with her artful words.
Poetry is unique in that you can give a room full of people the same piece, and each one of them would extract a different meaning based off their own life experiences and view of the world around them.
Our bones are white, structure, strength… But in between it is darkness, void, vulnerable. Life, death, love, sexuality, identity, ghosts all make themselves present… Holly’s words take the reader into these dark spaces with a haunting and raw exploration of everything we hold inside.
𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡.
If you’re looking for your first or next work of poetry, The Smallest of Bones is an excellent choice.
January 6, 2022
The Smallest of Bones- Raw, honest, and powerful
Thank you NetGalley & Clash books for the chance to dive into this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick read yet still remains imprinted on my memory. I didn't realize I would be getting a bonus lesson on human anatomy whilst enjoying this collection of "weird poetry," that isn't broken down by topic but by bone. I loved how different this collection was & what can I say, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, aren't we all?
Thank you NetGalley & Clash books for the chance to dive into this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick read yet still remains imprinted on my memory. I didn't realize I would be getting a bonus lesson on human anatomy whilst enjoying this collection of "weird poetry," that isn't broken down by topic but by bone. I loved how different this collection was & what can I say, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, aren't we all?
December 23, 2021
This is a poetry collection consisting of short poems covering a topics like love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness.
July 28, 2021
Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read this as an arc.
Secondly, I have to admit that my feelings about this book are mixed.
It's no secret that I absolutely love human anatomy, it's not so either that I immensely enjoy poetry. The combination of these two should've been the perfect collection for me.
Now don't get me wrong. When I say it wasn't perfect, I do not at all mean that it was anything short of beautiful, but rather it had a few minor flaws. For instance, some of the poems seemed too raw or just simply too simple(!) for me. They lacked a certain sophistication.
However, What some poems lacked in sophistication and complexity, the others compensated for in conciseness and the author's marvelous talent in painting a detailed picture of women's struggles with mere words.
One other thing that's worth mentioning is how absolutely amazing the prologues about various bones were. Holly Lyn Walrath had done her research and had done it thoroughly.
With all of this being said, I would recommend this book to anyone who generally enjoys short poems.
Secondly, I have to admit that my feelings about this book are mixed.
It's no secret that I absolutely love human anatomy, it's not so either that I immensely enjoy poetry. The combination of these two should've been the perfect collection for me.
Now don't get me wrong. When I say it wasn't perfect, I do not at all mean that it was anything short of beautiful, but rather it had a few minor flaws. For instance, some of the poems seemed too raw or just simply too simple(!) for me. They lacked a certain sophistication.
However, What some poems lacked in sophistication and complexity, the others compensated for in conciseness and the author's marvelous talent in painting a detailed picture of women's struggles with mere words.
One other thing that's worth mentioning is how absolutely amazing the prologues about various bones were. Holly Lyn Walrath had done her research and had done it thoroughly.
With all of this being said, I would recommend this book to anyone who generally enjoys short poems.
September 11, 2021
The Smallest of Bones is a poetry collection that goes through the bones of the body that roughly correlate to the poems, and it was really interesting. Each section contains a little information about each bone or bone system. I loved the way it was set up.
The poems are short and simple, but also beautiful. You can see the author's pain, worry, happiness, love through each of them. Walrath delves into gender dysphoria, pain, abuse, and love through these short poems.
They're easy to read and it's a quick book to fly through when you just want to settle down with a nice cup of tea.
Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
Thank you to NetGalley, and also Clash Books and Leza Cantoral for sending me a physical copy of The Smallest of Bones to review! The Smallest of Bones releases on September 26th.
The poems are short and simple, but also beautiful. You can see the author's pain, worry, happiness, love through each of them. Walrath delves into gender dysphoria, pain, abuse, and love through these short poems.
They're easy to read and it's a quick book to fly through when you just want to settle down with a nice cup of tea.
Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
Thank you to NetGalley, and also Clash Books and Leza Cantoral for sending me a physical copy of The Smallest of Bones to review! The Smallest of Bones releases on September 26th.
May 4, 2021
This is a weird little book.
The poetry is dark and compelling. while I didn't relate to all of it, I still found it gripping and intriguing.
I love the cover. However I struggled with the format in e book, it was hard to see where one poem finished and another started. I think the print version will be much nicer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The poetry is dark and compelling. while I didn't relate to all of it, I still found it gripping and intriguing.
I love the cover. However I struggled with the format in e book, it was hard to see where one poem finished and another started. I think the print version will be much nicer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 17, 2021
4.25
A collection of poems categorize in a form of anatomy. Each anatomical part is presented and described to what it truly is. Each poem represents a part of that anatomical part.
These collections of poem was pretty interesting and not too complicated to read through.
I connected to some poems, overall I really enjoyed this poetry book more than my other ones.
I would like to say thank you to NetGalley for providing me an E-arc for an honest review and I would also like to say thank you to the author and publishing company for sending me a physical copy.
A collection of poems categorize in a form of anatomy. Each anatomical part is presented and described to what it truly is. Each poem represents a part of that anatomical part.
These collections of poem was pretty interesting and not too complicated to read through.
I connected to some poems, overall I really enjoyed this poetry book more than my other ones.
I would like to say thank you to NetGalley for providing me an E-arc for an honest review and I would also like to say thank you to the author and publishing company for sending me a physical copy.
October 4, 2021
The poetry book is split into 7 sections, based on body parts; Cranium, Mandible, Sternum, Sacrum, Spine, Calcaneus and Temporal.
There are feminist themes throughout and to me there were topics such as death, grief and abuse covered. It was empowering and special and I found myself tabbing the poems throughout. I really enjoyed this short and memorable collection of poems!
There are feminist themes throughout and to me there were topics such as death, grief and abuse covered. It was empowering and special and I found myself tabbing the poems throughout. I really enjoyed this short and memorable collection of poems!
May 7, 2021
This has the potential to be good but the eARC I got is VERY jumbled so I'm probably gonna try to get a physical copy to read at some point
September 15, 2021
An evocative, strange, memorable gem of a book. Hauntingly beautiful thoughts on identity, love, the body, and ghosts. Don't miss this one!
January 20, 2023
"I wish I could hurt you / the way you hurt me / but my skin is a mask / and my fists are flowers"
I love poetry so much because it can be so powerful, but also so subjective - what works and impacts one person may not do anything for another, and that's completely okay. I accept that going into any poetry collection, despite how much I love the genre, there's a really big chance that the collection just may not be something that I enjoy reading. This can also be a fear when reading a new or debut author in general, because going in without the expectations of a previously read book can be a little daunting. With THE SMALLEST OF BONES, I feel like I was kind of rolling the dice on both bets - when I saw this one being offered for review by CLASH Books, a poetry collection by an author I'd never read anything by before with an absolutely KILLER cover, I knew my rating would be a gamble.
After finishing the entire thing in a single sitting, I'm happy to report back that I didn't need to worry - I loved this so much!
"have you ever loved / something so much / you needed to destroy it"
These poems are tiny - like, super small, some only a few lines long. I know that this short, lowercase, "grammatically incorrect" style of writing isn't everyone's favorite - I've gotten a lot of rude comments on posts I share of my Rupi Kaur books, lmao, so I am no stranger to people's anger over a short poem, let me tell ya. But they really work for me, because the shortness and simplicity of the poems allow them to be open to interpretation in a way that I can easily relate to them, and apply them to feelings I've had in multiple situations in my life - and that's not something I can do with an extremely detailed, long, specific poem, you know? (Although, look, I'm not hating on those either - time and place for everything, right?)
The book is split into different sections titled and themed for its namesake - the small bones in the human body. The intimacy of these darkly bite-sized, emotionally raw poems pairs well alongside the theme of such small parts of us physically as a framework, and I found myself underlining & tabbing what felt like every other page as I read - I loved so many lines throughout.
"wouldn't you rather be something violent / if you had the choice"
Another unique thing about this collection is that the titles of the poems are part of the poems themselves, and the titles in the "Contents" make up their own poem - or they seemed to anyway, I don't actually know if that was intentional but I was vibin' with it & loved it, haha. From the contents poem: "I think we write about ourselves so we can / fuck what other people say / or maybe we're just broken" - ha. Loved this collection, definitely recommend.
I love poetry so much because it can be so powerful, but also so subjective - what works and impacts one person may not do anything for another, and that's completely okay. I accept that going into any poetry collection, despite how much I love the genre, there's a really big chance that the collection just may not be something that I enjoy reading. This can also be a fear when reading a new or debut author in general, because going in without the expectations of a previously read book can be a little daunting. With THE SMALLEST OF BONES, I feel like I was kind of rolling the dice on both bets - when I saw this one being offered for review by CLASH Books, a poetry collection by an author I'd never read anything by before with an absolutely KILLER cover, I knew my rating would be a gamble.
After finishing the entire thing in a single sitting, I'm happy to report back that I didn't need to worry - I loved this so much!
"have you ever loved / something so much / you needed to destroy it"
These poems are tiny - like, super small, some only a few lines long. I know that this short, lowercase, "grammatically incorrect" style of writing isn't everyone's favorite - I've gotten a lot of rude comments on posts I share of my Rupi Kaur books, lmao, so I am no stranger to people's anger over a short poem, let me tell ya. But they really work for me, because the shortness and simplicity of the poems allow them to be open to interpretation in a way that I can easily relate to them, and apply them to feelings I've had in multiple situations in my life - and that's not something I can do with an extremely detailed, long, specific poem, you know? (Although, look, I'm not hating on those either - time and place for everything, right?)
The book is split into different sections titled and themed for its namesake - the small bones in the human body. The intimacy of these darkly bite-sized, emotionally raw poems pairs well alongside the theme of such small parts of us physically as a framework, and I found myself underlining & tabbing what felt like every other page as I read - I loved so many lines throughout.
"wouldn't you rather be something violent / if you had the choice"
Another unique thing about this collection is that the titles of the poems are part of the poems themselves, and the titles in the "Contents" make up their own poem - or they seemed to anyway, I don't actually know if that was intentional but I was vibin' with it & loved it, haha. From the contents poem: "I think we write about ourselves so we can / fuck what other people say / or maybe we're just broken" - ha. Loved this collection, definitely recommend.
December 18, 2021
First of all, I want to thank Clash Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
The Smallest of Bones is a book about vulnerability, about what we are and what we feel under our skin, our vitals, all our shields of protection. It's a book about who we truly are in our skeleton, in our core, in our soul.
I had already read a book of poems by the same author, Glimmerglass Girl (click HERE to read the opinion), and I had felt a lack of connection with the poems.
About The Smallest of Bones, as a whole I liked the book (much more than the other one I read by the same author), but, even so, I felt that some poems lacked depth, feelings and vulnerabilities that were left unexplored.
Of course, poetry has a very personal interpretation and everyone feels and interprets a certain verse in a certain way, but I think the author could have scrutinized a few more aspects in the poems she wrote to create a deep connection throughout the book, which it would translate into a more cohesive and brutal reading, instead of having one or another poem that seems a bit "disjointed". I can't explain it well, but that's what I felt.
Neverthless, I consider it a great read and I recommend it to you.
The Smallest of Bones is a book about vulnerability, about what we are and what we feel under our skin, our vitals, all our shields of protection. It's a book about who we truly are in our skeleton, in our core, in our soul.
I had already read a book of poems by the same author, Glimmerglass Girl (click HERE to read the opinion), and I had felt a lack of connection with the poems.
About The Smallest of Bones, as a whole I liked the book (much more than the other one I read by the same author), but, even so, I felt that some poems lacked depth, feelings and vulnerabilities that were left unexplored.
Of course, poetry has a very personal interpretation and everyone feels and interprets a certain verse in a certain way, but I think the author could have scrutinized a few more aspects in the poems she wrote to create a deep connection throughout the book, which it would translate into a more cohesive and brutal reading, instead of having one or another poem that seems a bit "disjointed". I can't explain it well, but that's what I felt.
Neverthless, I consider it a great read and I recommend it to you.
May 12, 2021
“if you strip me down to my bones, am I yours?”
I have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review (netgalley)
The Smallest of Bones is a dark poetry collection that makes you think on relationships, sexuality, loss and more.
Walrath has an excellent command of prose and the structure of The Smallest of Bones hooked me from the start. Somehow the author has managed to capture a ton of feelings, but what stood out to me the most was the central theme of finding the light in the darkness. The structure of this collection was incredibly unique. I have never seen a poetry book organized by bones in the human body.
I did dislike how jarring the topic changes were and some of the formatting bothered me. Overall though the raw emotion and depth Walrath wielded made this an eye opening read.
I am looking forward to seeing more of their work and can’t wait for the release to recommend this on other platforms.
I have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review (netgalley)
The Smallest of Bones is a dark poetry collection that makes you think on relationships, sexuality, loss and more.
Walrath has an excellent command of prose and the structure of The Smallest of Bones hooked me from the start. Somehow the author has managed to capture a ton of feelings, but what stood out to me the most was the central theme of finding the light in the darkness. The structure of this collection was incredibly unique. I have never seen a poetry book organized by bones in the human body.
I did dislike how jarring the topic changes were and some of the formatting bothered me. Overall though the raw emotion and depth Walrath wielded made this an eye opening read.
I am looking forward to seeing more of their work and can’t wait for the release to recommend this on other platforms.
May 31, 2021
This poetry collection is, while short, an impactful read. It melds together facts, figures, and oddities of the human skeleton and serves as a shell for a serving of emotional experience. It isn't often that you find a collection that you want to reread, but for The Smallest of Bones, I would want to revisit this experience more than once.
*Book provided by NetGalley
*Book provided by NetGalley
October 3, 2021
3 stars
This short poetry collection has a unique premise. The language is beautiful, and there are some striking lines about love & its many ensuing emotions, yet overall I had a hard time connecting to these poems due to the long strings of metaphors that felt disjointed or irrelevant to the themes.
[What I liked:]
•This collection has a neat premise: each poem is inspired by the description of a human bone (cranium, mandible, etc.). The poet mentions in the afterword that the factual descriptions of the bones that serve as intros to the poems are largely taken (& paraphrased) from antique medical textbooks.
•Each of the seven poems has at least one passage that resonated with me, a deep emotion or memory clearly expressed with compelling language.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•The theme of these poems is a fraught (possibly toxic/abusive) romantic relationship, the longing for love lost, & dealing with the resulting pain & damage. The poems aren’t exactly repetitive, like each one has something meaningful to say, & neither is the language repetitious. But at the same time, none of the poems seem distinct from the others—I couldn’t tell you which poem the bits that stuck with me are from; they all blur together in that sense.
•All of these poems were a bit difficult for me to grasp onto, to fully connect with. The intros (describing a human bone, & giving some interesting facts about it) don’t seem all that much related to the free form verses that follow. The poems are strings of fragmented images (lovely, beautifully worded images!) that seem randomly thrown together. At some point, usually towards the end, a meaningful statement about love or life or pain would give me something memorable to engage with. But tbh, 80% of the lines/stanzas were disjointed descriptions that I couldn’t relate to each other or make sense of in the greater context. They just sounded really nice. This is probably a matter of stylistic choices that just aren’t to my tastes, your mileage may vary.
CW: self harm, allusions to domestic violence/potential sexual abuse, unhealthy romantic relationships
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
This short poetry collection has a unique premise. The language is beautiful, and there are some striking lines about love & its many ensuing emotions, yet overall I had a hard time connecting to these poems due to the long strings of metaphors that felt disjointed or irrelevant to the themes.
[What I liked:]
•This collection has a neat premise: each poem is inspired by the description of a human bone (cranium, mandible, etc.). The poet mentions in the afterword that the factual descriptions of the bones that serve as intros to the poems are largely taken (& paraphrased) from antique medical textbooks.
•Each of the seven poems has at least one passage that resonated with me, a deep emotion or memory clearly expressed with compelling language.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•The theme of these poems is a fraught (possibly toxic/abusive) romantic relationship, the longing for love lost, & dealing with the resulting pain & damage. The poems aren’t exactly repetitive, like each one has something meaningful to say, & neither is the language repetitious. But at the same time, none of the poems seem distinct from the others—I couldn’t tell you which poem the bits that stuck with me are from; they all blur together in that sense.
•All of these poems were a bit difficult for me to grasp onto, to fully connect with. The intros (describing a human bone, & giving some interesting facts about it) don’t seem all that much related to the free form verses that follow. The poems are strings of fragmented images (lovely, beautifully worded images!) that seem randomly thrown together. At some point, usually towards the end, a meaningful statement about love or life or pain would give me something memorable to engage with. But tbh, 80% of the lines/stanzas were disjointed descriptions that I couldn’t relate to each other or make sense of in the greater context. They just sounded really nice. This is probably a matter of stylistic choices that just aren’t to my tastes, your mileage may vary.
CW: self harm, allusions to domestic violence/potential sexual abuse, unhealthy romantic relationships
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
July 28, 2021
thank you to netgalley and CLASH books for an e-arc of this collection. this does not affect my rating.
"hiding our hearts is easy when we have so many bones."
i'm trying to branch out and read more poetry and this collection is definitely a good one to start with. while it wasn't the best poetry collection i've ever read it was quick and enjoyable.
the synopsis promises the collection to be "haunting" and "dark", however, the poems were just too short to feel remotely like that and the writing was very simple and insta-poetry-esque. while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just not my favourite style of poetry and those adjectives don't quite suit the collection as well as it could.
"but pain is like a melody you can't forget."
the collection attempts to cover themes such as: love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness (from the synopsis.) i found that it covered some better than others, particularly: relationships, ghosts, bones, gender and darkness.
it was clear that the main focus here was gender, focusing on women in abusive relationships, but since i am not a women nor in a relationship i cannot fully say how well it was portrayed.
"if you keep listening to what they tell you you are, soon enough you become that thing."
i really enjoyed the start to each new section of poems, they described different bones, their etymology and anthropology as well as the poets take on how they relate to women. as for the poems themselves, the ones that i enjoyed the most were:
- god doesn't interest me
- no one else will remember
- i am grasping at bits of bone
many of the poems, though, felt like stretched out, nonsensical metaphors or were incomplete but due to poetry being a very personal thing i cannot really comment on the nature of the poems.
overall, it was a nice introductory poetry collection and i do recommend checking it out upon release which is september 26th 2021! - 3*
"hiding our hearts is easy when we have so many bones."
i'm trying to branch out and read more poetry and this collection is definitely a good one to start with. while it wasn't the best poetry collection i've ever read it was quick and enjoyable.
the synopsis promises the collection to be "haunting" and "dark", however, the poems were just too short to feel remotely like that and the writing was very simple and insta-poetry-esque. while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just not my favourite style of poetry and those adjectives don't quite suit the collection as well as it could.
"but pain is like a melody you can't forget."
the collection attempts to cover themes such as: love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness (from the synopsis.) i found that it covered some better than others, particularly: relationships, ghosts, bones, gender and darkness.
it was clear that the main focus here was gender, focusing on women in abusive relationships, but since i am not a women nor in a relationship i cannot fully say how well it was portrayed.
"if you keep listening to what they tell you you are, soon enough you become that thing."
i really enjoyed the start to each new section of poems, they described different bones, their etymology and anthropology as well as the poets take on how they relate to women. as for the poems themselves, the ones that i enjoyed the most were:
- god doesn't interest me
- no one else will remember
- i am grasping at bits of bone
many of the poems, though, felt like stretched out, nonsensical metaphors or were incomplete but due to poetry being a very personal thing i cannot really comment on the nature of the poems.
overall, it was a nice introductory poetry collection and i do recommend checking it out upon release which is september 26th 2021! - 3*
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