Review of Posthumous Remorse
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Elavarasi Charles
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Review of Posthumous Remorse
[Following is a volunteer review of "Posthumous Remorse" by Shepperd Rourke.]
Posthumous Remorse by Shepperd Rourke takes readers on a despair-fueled poetical ride to the depths of a melancholic realm, where the author unleashes all his rawest opinions on the complexities of human life. He lets his questions find their answers in the readers’ hearts; either we empathize with his views or resist them completely, but in either state, we cannot stop until we’ve consumed it all.
In four chapters, Shepperd wages war against the religious, condemning their inhumane beliefs and the animosity that atheists must endure. While criticizing the nature of Christianity and its dogma, if we look past the harsh wordings, it is evident that he is shining lanterns at the darkest outliers of the community. It is unsettling when he calls followers delirious and insults Jesus as a fanatic philosopher. But when he presents evidence for his claims, the deafening silence in our minds is unavoidable. Politics, which is rife with prejudiced worshippers, is a mediocre dysfunction in his eyes. To a greater extent, he berates those who believe in hell, and the reader can find his contempt scattered throughout the book. It is not to be mistaken, though; he shows disinclination toward all religions in general.
Apart from the iconoclasm, he gets down to other issues such as drug addiction, prostitution, infidelity, and abuse of women, which I found to be vaguely tied to the suppression of human instincts under religious subjugation. His verses don’t spare modern artists either, who believe in a market approach when reaching their audiences. From time to time, as a moment of relief from a tense grip, he also talks about natural synergy and the bliss of being one with it when we are not pressed down by the societal standard of happiness. Also, his love for art and artists of the past, be it literature, music, or painting, can be seen as metaphors or preferences throughout the book. However, the most alluring aspect of this work is how brutally honest it is to his temperament. His poetry is a tidal ocean; depending upon how far you venture, it is to drown you in its depths.
As the title hints at the poem of the same name by Baudelaire, Shepperd’s characters—especially Reason, an intriguing name for a person—lack remorse and are violent in their psyche. It is unclear as to how much his poems are about his difficult past, but seeing his qualms about the quality of present-day human life, it is clear he is not directing anyone to serenity. He is troubled, and he is here to trouble our minds with the authority of a poet.
Intense verbosity requires the dictionary to be open all the time. Even then, it is a challenge to comprehend at times. Nonetheless, it is still addictive. I choose to be partial rather than rational (as I don’t have all the answers to his questions) and give this perfectly curated, transcendental 5 out of 5. Worthy of the spotlight, this book has its own editing rules, which is a painting in its arrangement. A caution for readers to be open-minded or withdraw would have been much appreciated, as there is no forewarning for how harsh he is with criticism. Other than that, I don’t have any dislikes. Contains profanity and explicit erotic references. Suitable for mature poetry lovers who are looking for a challenging perspective in conventional modern times ruled majorly by religious superiority.
******
Posthumous Remorse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Posthumous Remorse by Shepperd Rourke takes readers on a despair-fueled poetical ride to the depths of a melancholic realm, where the author unleashes all his rawest opinions on the complexities of human life. He lets his questions find their answers in the readers’ hearts; either we empathize with his views or resist them completely, but in either state, we cannot stop until we’ve consumed it all.
In four chapters, Shepperd wages war against the religious, condemning their inhumane beliefs and the animosity that atheists must endure. While criticizing the nature of Christianity and its dogma, if we look past the harsh wordings, it is evident that he is shining lanterns at the darkest outliers of the community. It is unsettling when he calls followers delirious and insults Jesus as a fanatic philosopher. But when he presents evidence for his claims, the deafening silence in our minds is unavoidable. Politics, which is rife with prejudiced worshippers, is a mediocre dysfunction in his eyes. To a greater extent, he berates those who believe in hell, and the reader can find his contempt scattered throughout the book. It is not to be mistaken, though; he shows disinclination toward all religions in general.
Apart from the iconoclasm, he gets down to other issues such as drug addiction, prostitution, infidelity, and abuse of women, which I found to be vaguely tied to the suppression of human instincts under religious subjugation. His verses don’t spare modern artists either, who believe in a market approach when reaching their audiences. From time to time, as a moment of relief from a tense grip, he also talks about natural synergy and the bliss of being one with it when we are not pressed down by the societal standard of happiness. Also, his love for art and artists of the past, be it literature, music, or painting, can be seen as metaphors or preferences throughout the book. However, the most alluring aspect of this work is how brutally honest it is to his temperament. His poetry is a tidal ocean; depending upon how far you venture, it is to drown you in its depths.
As the title hints at the poem of the same name by Baudelaire, Shepperd’s characters—especially Reason, an intriguing name for a person—lack remorse and are violent in their psyche. It is unclear as to how much his poems are about his difficult past, but seeing his qualms about the quality of present-day human life, it is clear he is not directing anyone to serenity. He is troubled, and he is here to trouble our minds with the authority of a poet.
Intense verbosity requires the dictionary to be open all the time. Even then, it is a challenge to comprehend at times. Nonetheless, it is still addictive. I choose to be partial rather than rational (as I don’t have all the answers to his questions) and give this perfectly curated, transcendental 5 out of 5. Worthy of the spotlight, this book has its own editing rules, which is a painting in its arrangement. A caution for readers to be open-minded or withdraw would have been much appreciated, as there is no forewarning for how harsh he is with criticism. Other than that, I don’t have any dislikes. Contains profanity and explicit erotic references. Suitable for mature poetry lovers who are looking for a challenging perspective in conventional modern times ruled majorly by religious superiority.
******
Posthumous Remorse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The 13th of Summer by Charlene Pratt
