This was a really thoughtful and important collection. I found myself unable to put it down and read it in one sitting. I had to go back to a couple poems and reread them almost immediately after I finished because I found myself so touched by them! Really wonderful!

I had issues with the font being too dark on Kindle. I have to read with dark mode on due to being autistic, and the font was just too much of a dark gray for me to read it comfortably. That might just be an issue with me and my device? Anyway, what I could read was great and I'm going to wait to give it a proper review until I can purchase it :)

A very interesting debut collection.

The first half of the collection was a bit weak, while the second half felt more confident and cohesive. The use of space, line breaks, and the examination of language and translation were fascinating! I'll definitely read more from the author in the future!

Favourites: funeral, peopleless, and two of the untitled poems "This June in the Bronx..." and "When my father died.."

When reading this collection, one can understand immediately the deep connection between poet and poetry for Hussaini has the ability to convey her message not only via word, but also via spaces and puntuation, creating an intense sense of purpose.
Although the style wasn't exactly close to what I gravitate to (I'd say it was rather experimental, the type of poetryfor which one should take their time with and let each poem sit within themselves to fully understand it), I could clearly feel how every single mark on the page was drenched with complexe emotions, I could see the colourful and scented markets in Kabul, I was with the author enjoyng sweet and spiced traditional sweets, but I also was made aware of the sorrow that such a brutal war marks on the skin of a person, even after they've left that place.
I feel that this was an important read for it gives an insight and raw opening on the war in Afghanistan regardless of the preference of style.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!


I kept reading the book, thinking I would come across a poem I liked, but after a while I just think that this writer isn’t for me.

They have a particular style, which will go over well with a lot of people, and I think I might try to pick up something by then in the future. For now, this collection wasn’t for me and bored me.

I appreciated the importance of this voice and especially at this time, but I also appreciated, even more, the author's ability to use space and line breaks to create a sense of observation and witness. I think I might enjoy this voice more in an anthology or reading the book slower, rather than in one big gulp.

Hajar Hussaini’s “Disbound” is a tactile and sensuous debut poetry collection. Relating her experiences as an Afghan, now living in Iowa, she touches on the social, the political, and the cultural in her series of poems. Modern and free-form, Hussaini plays with structure and delivery, painting small portraits of moments and memories, diverse and colourful offerings. Language is wielded with care and grace, where coordinating consonants and double-entendres are woven into lucid and powerful verse.