Our Lady of the Ruins; Traci Brimhall

Book review by Kristy Webster | published Monday, October 1, 2013 |
Thursday Review Contributing Writer

I have to admit, the first thing that drew me to Our Lady of the Ruins was the cover: an exploding porcelain doll head filled with something that looks like a cross between fruit punch and strawberry jello. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case it served me well. It's been a long time since I allowed myself the pleasure of delving into a collection of poetry, and what a fabulous pleasure it turned out to be.

Dealing with themes of personal tragedy as well as scaling walls of mythical proportions, this collection of poetry follows a group of women on a journey, an exodus to find God in a war torn, chaotic and often cruel world. To give you just a small taste of what you can expect from this immensely talented poet, I will leave you with the last two stanzas of the closing poem, Jubilee:


I am a ravening animal weepin for the angel

with broken hands standing sentry over the ossuary.


I am harrowed, hallowed. I am stone, stone,

I have not trembled. Love nails me to the world.