i want to thank netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. i hope the author rests peacefully, im so sorry to hear of their passing before getting to publish. as a bipolar woman myself, this book had me extremely deep in my feelings.
some of the poems feel unfinished, and almost hard to decipher but that’s part of what makes this even more beautiful. how raw, real, and open this entire book is. i’m very saddened that the author had to endure what they did, its obvious from their letters and poems that they didn’t have it easy in life or in their mind. i wish i could have given them a hug. this book is deep, real, open and extremely raw. i loved it. the only reason i gave four stars is because of the writing style not being my favorite, no other reason.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

Enigmatic and often impenetrable, Kelly Caldwell’s "Letters to Forget "is a posthumous debut that seems to abhor attention while inviting re-reads.

The book revolves around what might be called the grief of embodiment. Caldwell writes from her experience as a trans woman, and a recurrent theme is a sense of displacement—bodies that don’t quite fit in time or space. Or, more accurately, a space and time that refuses to make room for bodies. There’s very little thematic resolution, and many of these explorations are darkly mediated through Caldwell’s struggles with her mental health. Some of these poems seem to loathe their author and, by extension, anyone who reads them. Simply put, it’s a heavy and often estranging book.

If it isn’t clear by this point, it’s hard to deny that this book is a difficult read, both in themes and in form. Much of this seems inherent in Caldwell’s stylistic approach, but I’m curious how much is also from this being—in a way—an unfinished manuscript. There are countless, dizzying aphorisms that read like prophecy, and readers will likely wonder if they are deliberately esoteric or simply incomplete thoughts, though Caldwell’s religious history leads me to believe the former is true.

Speaking of which, "Letters to Forget" is populated with religious detritus, the bulk of which surfaces in the conversation between “Self-Portrait as Job” and “God Talks.” These pieces are fascinating, feverish biblical subversions that land with stomach-turning specificity. In them, the speaker alternately implicates and exonerates Job, and the tension is—for lack of a better word—upsetting. It’s masterfully written.

The collection is nearly relentless, but thankfully, Caldwell alleviates the weight with numerous poems addressed to “dear c.,” her long-term partner, Cass Donish. One gets the sense that Donish was an anchor, of sorts, and their shared love feels like a much-needed light in an otherwise oppressively dark book.

All in all, "Letters to Forget" is a hard book to recommend, but it seems like a fitting memorial to its author, and anyone who chooses to read it will likely find themselves moved to grief and admiration in equal measure.

This is not the collection for me. The summary mentions religion, but I did not realize how large of a role it would play. If you like heavy poetry and like/don’t mind reading into the Bible you may enjoy this poetry collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read something that suffocated you in its author's own sorrow that your head buzzed with static and you recall less desirable times where maybe whatever comes after is calling you from the murk of desparation? About 80% through the book is a letter to Cass that begins 'I was there, believe me'. The end broke my heart. I wonder if the author's parents will read this book, will make it as far as this piece, and bawl their eyes out.

The book consists of both poems and letters to the author's partner, Cass. There's a lot of poems with titles with the word house in it, and after a while, I wondered if it was a reference to tarot. But the poet is trying to work through a lifetime of secrets and pain here, and I might be inferring based on my own history.

I went to read about the author and had my heart broken twice over, once in this book (or hundreds of times in this book) and once reading the In Memoriam page. There were so many Bible references here, I wonder if the author was maybe trying to work out distancing herself from the denomination in which she was raised in as separate from distancing herself from God. Again, just maybe wondering in my head.

Unfortunately, this stellar and talented poet is no longer with us, so I cannot ask her.

I think I would have rated this higher if some of the poems didn't feel so stuttering to me with the stylistic choice of extra periods.

For information about the author, see https://thespectacle.wustl.edu/?p=1417.

4.25 out of 5 stars.