Thanks to NetGalley and Querencia Press for the ARC.

This is poetry to disassociate to. Playing with the spacing and the form of the text, and the repetition, it kinda takes you to another place. But mixed in the repetition are visceral imagery that forces you out of that trance. It's an experience that is unsettling and beautiful.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6712807782

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/efb565d6-f90a-45fd-a848-1f62203f0e07

Check out this review of GUNK on Fable. https://fable.co/review/b34aed1c-8583-412c-8a10-f80afe1aee00/share

GUNK by Noah David Roberts was different.
Roberts has provided us with a written performance. One meant to be felt like a punch to the gut.
Repetition of themes and the poetry formats used aided in the overall message portrayed throughout the work: the world is a dirty place and the layers that make up self aid to the ugliness and gunk found around us. But no worries, everything is an illusion anyway so lean further into it.

Thank you NetGalley, Noah David Robert, and Querenchia Press for the ARC.

Publishing date: 07.06.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Querencia Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: Leftovers from two days ago
The book left me: Feeling like a rat

Negatives:
A Little too nasty for my tastes
Did not connect with any of the poems
CAPS-LOCK poems were a little hard to read

Positives:
Oozing a very different kind of creativity
Good flow and cohesive
Very raw

Features:
Filter-less poems, upper and lower case play, a good running theme

Why did I choose this one?
I am in my poem-era, and this looked to be a stand-out collection of them

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Relatively devourable. Since it is so short, it will end before you know it

What was the vibe and mood?
I am scavenging trash. I am a rat. I am full of gunk, I need a bath. The world is ugly, but I appreciate it's ugliness

Final ranking and star rating?
C tier, 3 stars. I simply didn't connect with this collection as much as I wanted to. But for those that like this kind of stuff, it will hit hard.

Thank you to NetGalley, Querencia Press, and Noah David Roberts for the advanced copy of GUNK!

As someone who doesn't read poetry or prose often, GUNK was difficult to appreciate. I loved the descriptions of how the narrator felt, the overall flow of the book, and the repetitive nature of many pieces.

Lines like this were the standouts:

I WAS HEALED, FOR A WHILE
BUT HEALING IS ACTIVE & HATING IS PASSIVE.

I don’t always love poetry, although I am more partial to free verse. This book has really poetry which is really beautiful in form and incredibly moving. It is incredibly personal, yet relatable, and deals with both intense self-hatred and incredible emotional highs. Each poem felt distinct, but the collection was also cohesive. The running theme of “gunk” and the disgusting nature of the body and world was highly effective. This collection was really interesting and moving and well-worth reading.

Harsh and biting. "GUNK" looks at the world and relishes in it's gun-kiness. The changes between upper and lower case play with tone and evokes a sense of urgency while reading. Some may be put off by its bluntness but others will be enchanted.

My favorite poems are: "CANDIED APPLES", "QUINTET FOR SHOUTING", "THE WORST MEAL I EVER ATE/JEANNE D'ARC", and "GOLIATH."