Publishing date: 08.11.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Querencia Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

This was fine. I didn't really feel any specific way about it. I think I wasn't the intended audience.
This collection is very American and explores multiple themes. Gender, grief, family, growing apart, trauma, and masculinity.

I found the poems to be very abstract and "grey". It felt so dour. Some stylistic choices felt out of place or even distracting. The author clearly has a very specific mood and style in mind, I am just not sure if that is really my cup of tea.

Final ranking and star rating?
2 stars, D tier. Not really for me.

A collection which is so palpably American. The rumours of Witman, Ginsberg, and Siken are felt here. At its the best the collection calls forth nostalgia as easily as it was a loyal dog. At its best it operates on a genuinely profound and innovative imagery that feels truely refreshing to read, the last poem of the collection managed to harness these two strengths in a way that shows promise and confidence rarely seen in early collections. The confidence of Downs extends to a very intentional awarenss of length and brevity. It's admirable to see a poet who says what they need to say and walks away to let us do the extent of the feeling. Although I did find some stylistic choices to be without obvious justification and though there were poems with innovative imagery broadly the collection tends towards the conventional. However, this shows clear promise and I anticipate the future works..

A tender and biting look at grief, family trauma, gender, and masculinity. Downs' poetry shines in it's simplicity and minor form break, using well crafted language to tell a story of trans survival and generational trauma. The nods to Massachusetts are welcome, as I'm also a native, and the peppered subtleties of masculinity metaphors make this collection feel full and inviting.

A staple for LGBTQIA+ poetry collections for sure.

Wow, just wow, n w downs has a voice meant to be heard for ages and ges, to be immortalized in this text and many, many more hopefully.

Objects in Mirror explores themes of grief, familial tension, and the fleeting nature of memory, all set against the backdrop of Americana. Downs’ poetry dives deep into personal history, bringing to life scenes where loss and longing intersect. The imagery, especially related to journeys and the open road, evokes a sense of restlessness that mirrors the emotional turbulence of the poems. While some poems hit hard with their rawness, others feel a bit repetitive, particularly in their focus on familial grief. However, the collection's experimentation with form and narrative gives it a distinct voice, making it a poignant reflection on masculinity and heritage. Readers drawn to introspective and nostalgic themes will find something to resonate with in this collection.