"Life of the Party"

“Life of The Party”

Written by Olivia Gatwood

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

I’ve found it. A fantastic book of poetry that hit every expectation, that I found relatable, and that I found to be interesting and especially thought-provoking. Olivia Gatwood’s poetry is very feministic, showing the darker sides of being a woman and / or a female in today’s world. This poetry felt very realistic and absolutely challenged many of my conservative opinions. I also felt that Gatwood has a way of explaining something poetically, without stripping away the darker side of the content. Often, I read modern poetry that makes light of more serious topics by making the words sound lyrical and pretty. For example, Rupi Kaur is a very popular, feministic, modern poet who uses personification, allusions, similes, and metaphors to explain the harsher sides of abuse, mental disorder, and sex. In addition, Amanda Lovelace’s poetry is similar. Contrastingly, Gatwood uses realistic language and does not use literary devices often. Her harsh, honest poetry is refreshing and absolutely horrifying.

Additionally, Gatwood offers a very insightful foreword. She discusses how she has experienced and known of experiences that have occurred by men to women she knew. She speaks of violence with wisdom and solemnity. I find that poetry feels more meaningful, when drawn from experience. Olivia Gatwood’s poetry speaks about many important topics, such as, abuse, rape, sex, and murder. How men and women treat women. She discusses how it can be to grow up from childhood into adolescence and how that can change how men act. Her poems sometimes are inspired by true crimes, especially ones involving serial killers and murders, but they do not feel exploitative of the crimes and victims. They feel apologetic and sympathetic, rather than manipulative.

My favorite poems from her collection are:

“Girl”

“First Grade, 1998”

“The Sandias, 2008”

“Staying Small”

“When I Say That We Are All Teen Girls”

“Mans/laughter”

“The Lover as a Tapeworm”

“Sound Bites as We Ponder Death”

“She Lit Up Every Room She Walked Into”

“Ode to the Unpaid Electricity Bill”

In conclusion, I have absolutely found a new favorite modern poet. I always find myself struggling to enjoy the whole extent of a modern poetry collection, but I absolutely loved this one. I plan to read as much of Olivia Gatwood’s poetry as possible.

I received an advance review edition of this book through Netgalley in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes. Additionally, thank you to Dial Press.