Name: Soft in the Middle
ISBN: 9781977841889

Shelby Eileen

"there are so many words I've left unsaid so instead of going another year or five or ten in brutal, crushing silence don't waste this opportunity don't be scared when the full weight of my heart tests the strength of your hands I'm trusting you with something I barely trust myself with this knowing this telling this momentous uprooting I'm here I am I am right here in these words" A debut poetry collection about love, heartbreak, body image, how absolutely breathtaking girls are, flower blooms and starlight.

Soft in the Middle

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[fatphobia (externalized and internalized), emotional abuse (hide spoiler)]

More than just poetry about fat, sapphic ladies, this debut poetry is as soft and delicate as the title and cover suggest. 

Eileen explores self-love, sexuality, body positivity, heartbreak, and relationships in a way that feels like a whisper and a hug. I was a little sad that most of this collection didn't personally move me or resonate, however so many other reviewers have said that the experience was different for them which I think still speaks for the poet. 


  
    "I am huge
there is too much of me,
and not in a good way
- from the girl whose favourite animals are whales, and bears, and elephants"
  


I loved the contrast between the good and the bad of one's self-image, pressing the point that it is not something that is stagnant and stationary. That while someone may have a poor view of themselves or have let societal judgements get to them, there can still be a glimmer of "this is me and that's okay".

While a lot of modern poetry I have stumbled across has leant on the ferocity and rawness of prose, Eileen takes a different approach. Her words are soft-spoken and the poems feel like confessions and shared secrets. 


  
    "some things make me feel like my matter
and that of the rest of the world
were never meant
to blend"
  


Much of the poetry is short and I wonder whether this is the reason for feeling like I wanted more. While longer prose isn't always necessary and can sometimes take away from the message, I often felt the writing was cut short before the real diamond poked through.

This is a wonderful debut full of important and valid words and thoughts and I truly can not wait to read more from Eileen.


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Happy reading! ❤

Shannon O’Connor 

Amazing collection of poems that focus on the authors journey to self love and being true to who you are. Very well written and an easy read, once I started I had to continue reading.

Soft in the Middle

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