"Virgin"

“Virgin”
Written by Analicia Sotelo
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia



“Virgin” by Analicia Sotelo is a collection of poetry, the first work I have read by this author. The author incorporates themes of murder, death, comedy, mythology, religion, mental illness, adulthood, femininity, modernity, and literature.

Personally, this collection was not within the realm of poetry that I would enjoy. I found Sotelo’s poetry to be odd and blunt, with elements that were too dark and complicated for me, often too political.

I had a wonderful favorite from this collection, “South Texas Persephone”. If you had told me that this was the inspiration for a favorite musical, “Hadestown”, I would have absolutely believed you. This beautiful and interesting twist on Persephone’s mythology was a great read.

Other poems I enjoyed were: “A Little Charm”, “Trauma with Damp Stairwells”, and “Trauma of Haberdashery”.

To conclude, I was not a fan of this collection. The poems I did not like completely outweighed the great ones. However, my enjoyment for the much more enjoyable ones does allow my review with three stars instead of lower. I recommend this poetry to those who like the themes I had mentioned. However, Sotelo seems to be an acquired taste. I hope those who give her a try will enjoy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book to read and review from the publisher.