Name: New Names for Lost Things
ISBN: 9781524867591

Noor Unnahar

A poetic meditation on identity, loss, and loneliness from the bestselling poet and visual artist An all-new illustrated poetry collection from the bestselling author of yesterday i was the moon, New Names for Lost Things combines Noor Unnahar's powerful poetic voice and her signature collage-style visual art for a book of highly personal reflections on loss, inheritance, and what is left behind on the nonlinear path to becoming who you are meant to be.

New Names for Lost Things

ella

i really enjoyed it, i couldn't even put it down, always wanting more and more. all the poems sound vulnerable, way too honest. that's what makes it compelling. they speak about loneliness, grief, family relationship, intrapersonal issue. and i love how the author infused her culture and religion on the poems, which i mostly relate. though there are few ideas that i don't understand yet, like the concept of 'names' and 'weather' on some poems. what are they exactly? what meanings do they hold? i keep wondering. i think i don't grasp them yet because i haven't experienced 'them' and so i don't get their meanings.

alya adlina

3.8 ⭐️ 

I finished this in only 45 minutes and thank you to Net Galley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

it’s been a long time since i read poetry book. This poetry collection talks about loss, loneliness, grief, family, losing and finding yourself. It’s a really good one. I found it a little bit relatable with myself. They were beautiful written. 

I especially enjoyed the poems “ an invitation “ and “ reverse “. These two is one of my favs. 

The only thing i don’t quite enjoyed is the image with and without words. I don’t sure are they related or what. Just a lil bit confused. But overall it’s good.

Frida Kahlo

I received an eARC copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because of the pretty cover. 

From the blurb:


  "A poetic meditation on identity, loss, and loneliness from the bestselling poet and visual artist"


The author opened up to us, the readers, in a raw and honest way. The poetess sensitively and expressively discusses the family issues and memories, her heritage and culture. Some of them resonated with me more, some less, but they left their marks deep down. 


  [A List of Words That Are Shapeshifters]

Home / means the warm seat of your father's old car / means a
room with sunlight and no furniture / means everything has ended

Love / means to be forgiven, forgiven and forgiven / means your
favorite color is remembered / means you left but didn't really

Name / means you were brought to life / means there is a chance 
/ means you reminded someone of daylight 

[A List of Words That Are Shapeshifters: Part II]

Failure / means a body moved before crashing / means a tiny
prayer lost its abode / means whoever carried it-is now tired

Distance / means you're here / means another way to spell your
name / means I lost you to it

Memory / means nothing ever dies / means my grandmother is
still alive here / means everything I left behind is still breathing 


However, not many poems stood out, and not many varied; most of the poems looked similar with tiny variations. Some poems talked about a heavy feeling, such as loss, but lacked depth in the description; a very mild execution. 

It is perfectly acceptable to leave words unsaid and thoughts unfinished; it feels like too much of our own imagery and too many symbols create an opposite effect, leaving the poems expressionless.

Sierra Ford

** spoiler alert **
           *I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own - this is not a spoiler free review*

This collection for me was beautiful, however, I connected most about the poems centered around grief and loneliness. There is something thought provoking in the way that the author addresses these concepts, as they are something innate to humanity. There is pain in grief and heartache in loneliness. 

The piece that stuck out to me most was titled "Arrival of Love" ; this piece struck me because there is joy that experienced alongside grief, and sometimes that joy grows so large that grief knows it not longer has a place in ones heart. I really enjoyed reading this, especially at a time in my life where loneliness and grief were at the forefront of my mind daily. It was hard to vocalize my thoughts but thing collection of poems helped me understand them better.

Gabriel Noel 

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

A strikingly beautiful read that cover themes like grief, family bonds, and loneliness. I am a fan of Unnahar's flowery prose, it's rich and poignant, but also still accessible to a wide audience. The composition of the poems are easy to read and while it doesn't break the mold it has a subtle uniqueness to it that I enjoy. This is a collection that can be enjoyed by teen and adult readers. 

My favorite poems are "Inheritance", "A Personal Tragedy", and "Pockets."

New Names for Lost Things

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