The Fatherhood of the Absent Sister by Chloe Armstrong

A Poetry, Independently Published in 2022, 49 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• I want more. Really, this isn’t a negative, it’s just a fact! I hope there’s another poetry book in this author’s future. 
• If I’m being picky (and really I kind of am to put something in this place) I would’ve preferred a smaller edition of this book. More of a traditional paperback size. There were poems with intentional white space at the bottom and that would’ve hit better if the other ones didn’t have so much white space from the larger format pages. Again, I’m being picky.

What I Did Like:

• Emotional. I’ve said it before, poetry should be about connecting to an emotion. The poet puts something out there that you can pick up and FEEL. This is FULL of that. These poems are raw and relatable and I adore them all. I actually read the book twice. 
• White space, capitalization, and indents are all things this author understands how to play around with in a poem. You have to know the rules to break the rules, I always say. I think her decisions here were intentional and fit the mood of the poems. 
• Quote worthy. There are no shortage of lines in this one that you’ll want to reread and let sink in. My favorite came in emotional philanthropy. No spoilers, just read it. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Poetry fans. Seriously this is an indie book by a new poet but this won’t be the last thing you see from her. It’s worth the read and the time. It’s worth owning for your shelf. I guarantee I’ll read this one again. 
• If you aren’t always a poetry fan but you want to give it a try, consider this one. It’s unpretentious voice makes it easy to enjoy for everyone. 

My Rating: 5 Stars. 

I have to go 5 for this one simply because I did an immediate reread. It’s HARD for me to give a poetry book 5 stars because normally I have to say you’ll only like this one if you like poetry. But this one is different. Give it a try if you like emotional connections OR poetry.