Official Review: 3 am Whisperer by Freddy M Thomas

ciecheesemeister · Post by **ciecheesemeister** » 28 Sep 2020, 09:02

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "3 am Whisperer" by Freddy M Thomas.]

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

3 AM Whisperer is a collection of poems and illustrations by Freddy M. Thomas. The poems are primarily free verse. The illustrations are simple, stark, even harsh in their execution. The major themes in the collection are acceptance and loss.

It is difficult to say with poetry whether the book was professionally edited. The poems are well-written and compelling. Although the author generally writes in free verse, there is an evident meter with most of the poems that imparts a feeling of precision even with imprecise and often messy matters such as relationships.

The author is an Indian national residing in Canada. While there are certain subjects that apply to people regardless of their nationality, the issue of caste is particularly Indian. The author addresses the matter in “Matchmaker,” a poem about online dating. He writes:

Specify the caste
Keeps you so classed
Choose the apt wordplay
It gives you preferred prey

“Surname” addresses the importance of coming from a good family. The line “all that is fine, but what is your surname?” repeats throughout the poem with the last verse pointedly revealing how one can never escape this branding, regardless of what actions one may take or what one may achieve in their lifetime.

Heaven seemed calm
with angels around
He greeted the gatekeeper with
hugs and chocolates
All that is fine, but what is your surname?

The author writes in a bare bones, sometimes painfully honest style, baring his soul to the reader come what may about subjects such as the pursuit and loss of love. The book also addresses disenfranchisement and the feeling of being without connections in our connected world. As a verse from the aptly titled “Anti-Social” states:

Somewhere between the eagerness to seek attention
And the thirst for edited privacy settings
They tagged him as anti-social

This book is a good choice for readers who enjoy brief, gritty poetry with a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Readers seeking poems of the moon-June-tune variety, warbling on about spring and young men’s fancies turning to love would be advised to look elsewhere. Although the book contains no profanity, explicit erotic descriptions, or graphic violence, the subject matter is more likely to resonate with adults than young readers. In the world of the 3 AM Whisperer, love bites and only labels linger.

All the poems in the collection have a similar sardonic tone, and it works for me. There was nothing that I disliked about the book. I rate it four out of four stars.

******
3 am Whisperer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon