Breathe. Breathe. by Erin
Sweet Al-Mehairi is a collection of dark, fantastical and realistic,
beautifully-written, highly visual poems and short stories. It exudes a
darkness that readers can both visualise and enjoy reading over and over.
"Night Stalked" is a 10-star
poem that had my heart racing throughout. Damn!
It
is followed by "The Lure of a Witch",
which breaks free from the horror of the previous poem to act as a kind of
relief. But don't get used to the relief in this collection.
Al-Mehairi notes at the
end of the book that she wrote "The Society
of the Fireflies" for her
daughter. The poem is one of few light pieces in the collection with a
beautiful image carried throughout. Lots of contrast in there as well. Five
stars to this one. If I were to quote from it, I'd quote it whole!
"Clock
of Doom" is
another 10-star dark poem that keeps you on edge throughout. I absolutely love
it!
"Click-clock
Tick-tock.
There's
no escape
From
the claustrophobia
of
monotonous chirps,
as
the hands move without
empathy
or pardon for the soul."
Two
main themes recur throughout Breathe. Breathe., namely abuse and
violence against women, which I believe Al-Mehairi brings some of from past
pains in her life, and the idea of breathing; the need to breathe and
let go.
"The
Heirloom" is a
brilliant story within a poem, which reminded me a bit of Miss Havisham from
Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, although the poem's main character in quite different. A 10-star poem that will keep your heart pounding!
"The
Lighthouse Keeper's Tale" is a dark paranormal poem that is reminiscent of a Nightwish song called "The Islander", which in turn often reminds me of Samuel
Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." However, I must
stress that Al-Mehairi's poem is very different from Coleridge's; they both
just have a similar feel with the sea, the keeper, and the overall visual.
I loved the
alliteration, rhythm, and flow in the dark and quick-paced poem "Buried Alive", while "The Table is Turned" reminded me of one of the short stories that
appear later in the collection. I liked how Al-Mehairi kept giving me hints as
to the end of the poem.
A
horrifying story within a poem, "Ningyo's Misfortune" is one of two pieces that is based on Japanese
mythology. It is a different kind of horror. Although there was a strong shift in
narration, the piece is a must-read.
"Nature's Salve"
is
a dark piece that the reader can literally feel every word of. *shudders*
As
with collections, there were some poems that I didn't quite get and others that
did not appeal to me but those were few.
"Offers to Nang Tani" is an
interesting piece but I felt it could be in prose more. it's a story arising
from folklore with great visual.
Other
recommended reads from Breathe. Breathe.: "Love Is Poison", "Silent
Screams", "You Say You Love Me", "Anxiety of
Darkness", "What Lies Beneath", "Catching My Breath",
and "The Hunted."
The
book also contains five short stories. The first is "Valhalla
Lane", which is divided into
four shorter episodes that are beautifully brought together to a final
conclusion. Well-written and crafted. I couldn’t put them this down despite the
violence in it.
There
is also "Life-Giver of the Nile",
which brings in Egyptian mythology with a dark but interesting twist. Being an
Egyptian, I like to see how authors tackle ancient Egyptian mythology and
Al-Mehairi did a good job with this one. Although I have mixed feelings about
Anuket, the goddess of the Nile, being evil or justifiably-evil.
"Dandelion Yellow"
is
a very powerful but heartbreaking short story and Al-Mehairi literally saved one of the best for
last. The story somehow reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, with a much
darker shade, and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
"She felt she had fallen down the proverbial
rabbit hold into hell."
Differently
raw and unexpected, "Dandelion Yellow"
is definitely a 10-star must read.
Can't
decide if "Dandelion Yellow" or
"Valhalla Lane" is the no. 1
short story for me. Both are amazing, emotional and painful, and must-reads.
"No dandelion yellow crayon in this brand's box
either. Not even a colour remotely similar, just a dark mustard that looked
like an old man's time-warped bathroom sink."
Overall,
Breathe. Breathe. is a must-read for any poetry lover.
It is rich in themes and ideas, from heartbreak and heartache to women fighting
back their abusers, to Japanese mythology to an ancient Egyptian goddess taking
a human life for a greater purpose. I highly recommend it.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Breathe. Breathe. via Amazon.
About the Author
Erin
Sweet Al-Mehairi has Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Journalism, and
History. She has 20 years of experience in the communication and marketing fields
and is currently a writer, a journalist, a publicist, and an editor among many
other things.
Breathe. Breathe., published by Unnerving, is her debut
collection and a mix of dark poetry and short stories and has been an Amazon
best-selling paid title, debuting at #2 in Women’s Poetry and top ten in horror
short stories. She is also featured in the anthology from Unnerving called Hardened Hearts, which published in
December 2017. Her story “Dandelion Yellow,” from Breathe. Breathe. is also featured in the My Favorite Story anthology of the Project Entertainment Network,
which published also in December of 2017. This year so far, she was featured in
the February issue of Enchanted Conversation: a fairy tale magazine, with her
poem “Chained by Love” about a medieval mermaid. She also is the co-editor of a
Gothic-themed anthology of poetry and short fiction to premiere Fall 2018 from
Unnerving.
Erin
is a co-host with her Marketing Morsels segment on Project Entertainment
Network’s The Mando Method, an award-winning weekly podcast for new and veteran
writers.
You
can e-mail her at hookofabook (at) hotmail (dot) com and find her easily at
www.hookofabook.wordpress.com. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and Pinterest where she loves new friends.
