Official Review: Paper Ghosts by Vanessa Deroo
Posted: 20 Aug 2013, 21:17
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Paper Ghosts" by Vanessa Deroo.]
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Vanessa Deroo writes a set of poems centered on life experiences in "Paper Ghosts". Her collection harnesses the thoughts of several characters to tell a brief story of significance. Each work is personal yet resonates in some way. Deroo's writing emulates this trend to the very last word.
There are five poems within this collective work plus one "bonus" piece that Deroo closes with. A majority of the poems deal with regret and resentment. Yet the regrets she confronts are the root of a self resentment. These work as powerful elements which help readers to relate on more than one level. It becomes clear that her works are not dependent on this ability to relate but rest on an actual understanding. These experiences and the emotions they generate are meant to reach deep inside the audience. I think this technique is well utilized throughout.
Vanessa Deroo's writing in "Paper Ghosts" echoes fragility. I got the sense that she was not set on matching experiences but that the connection readers made through emotion would ground them to the characters on a more personal level. I am not sure if the individual poems were intended to communicate a single unified thought on life.
However, I feel the fact that Deroo strayed from this cliché says that she wants to make her own statement through writing. The fragility she conveys is reminiscent of the fragility of life. Our thoughts are always changed by the experiences we have and the emotions they spark. Her writing seems very on the mark in this respect.
I would rate this work a 3 out of 4 stars. I did not feel weighted down by poetic sentiment. Vanessa Deroo's works are simple and speculative. Readers are free to take from it what they receive and nothing else. "Paper Ghosts" is a light glimpse of what remains in our minds and hearts as we continue to live our lives. I only wished for at least a few more pieces to complete the series. Some pieces were so fragmented for me that the significance was lost.
***
Buy "Paper Ghosts" on Barnes and Noble
Share This Review
There are five poems within this collective work plus one "bonus" piece that Deroo closes with. A majority of the poems deal with regret and resentment. Yet the regrets she confronts are the root of a self resentment. These work as powerful elements which help readers to relate on more than one level. It becomes clear that her works are not dependent on this ability to relate but rest on an actual understanding. These experiences and the emotions they generate are meant to reach deep inside the audience. I think this technique is well utilized throughout.
Vanessa Deroo's writing in "Paper Ghosts" echoes fragility. I got the sense that she was not set on matching experiences but that the connection readers made through emotion would ground them to the characters on a more personal level. I am not sure if the individual poems were intended to communicate a single unified thought on life.
However, I feel the fact that Deroo strayed from this cliché says that she wants to make her own statement through writing. The fragility she conveys is reminiscent of the fragility of life. Our thoughts are always changed by the experiences we have and the emotions they spark. Her writing seems very on the mark in this respect.
I would rate this work a 3 out of 4 stars. I did not feel weighted down by poetic sentiment. Vanessa Deroo's works are simple and speculative. Readers are free to take from it what they receive and nothing else. "Paper Ghosts" is a light glimpse of what remains in our minds and hearts as we continue to live our lives. I only wished for at least a few more pieces to complete the series. Some pieces were so fragmented for me that the significance was lost.
***
Buy "Paper Ghosts" on Barnes and Noble