‘Iridescence’ - A book review

Author- Abhishek Gupta

Publisher- HALF BAKED BEANS

Pages- 80

Genre- Poetry

Blurb- As we experience different places in the external world, we often find ourselves at different junctures in the journey to finding ourselves. This book, through the combination of words and pictures, will take you places, literally and metaphorically. It is a book for everyone and no one. You will find a lot of yourself in this book and this book will help you find yourself. It will make you reflect, introspect, awaken, love, invigorate and hope. This is a book to tuck under your pillow on cold lonely nights and it is also a book to flip through first thing on refreshing spring mornings. This is poetry for all seasons and the constant iridescence of all souls.

Book Review- When I picked up ‘Iridescence’ for a review, I had high hopes from the author- the poet in this case. The cover page looked inviting and as I browsed through the pages, the photographs were beautiful. But alas, the good things ended here. ‘Iridescence’ flatters to deceive.

Charlie Chaplin once said- “Why should poetry have to make sense?” As I read the poems in this book, I questioned myself if poetry indeed needed to make sense- to the reader. A poet may choose to pour out his emotions on a piece of paper in his own signature style. To decipher what a poet has to convey becomes the job of the reader. But for a reader to be interested in the verses there has to be a set pattern to the words printed on the blank pages.

What one encounters in this book is a mishmash of the varied style of poetry- Sonnets, narratives, free verses. While there is nothing wrong in experimenting with the different genres of poetry, finding more than one form in a single poem is jarring.

The poet tries to rhyme words at places but in the attempt, ends up diluting the essence of the poem. I would advise the author to read English poetry seriously before he ventures on a new lyrical project. That he is a lover of poetry is evident in the efforts that he must have put in to pen this book. A lot of hard work goes into the creation of any piece of art- its worth, relative in the eyes of the connoisseurs.

Verdict- Flatters to deceive.