4/5 stars
What's it about? Honestly, this is a tough question to answer. Strange, creepy, and savage, Aase Berg describes a transformed world in which the rules of body and boundary have changed. The surreal and consuming poems of Dark Matter challenge the definition of being.
How’d I find it? I bought directly from Black Ocean, the publisher, because I’m fancy sometimes.
Who will enjoy this book? If you appreciate Jeff Vandermeer's Dead Astronauts, Olga Ravn's The Employees, or the body horror of Alex Garland's film Men, you'll get a kick out of Dark Matter.
What stood out? The aftertaste of the poems linger in your mouth — fitting, as mouths are a common theme. I felt unsettled in the best way by this book. Dark Matter portends encroachment and uncertainty that is hard to shake. A bit like Jeff Vandermeer's Area X trilogy.
Which line made me feel something? This stanza from "Strong Bodyfault's Orbit:" "There is no space now for the hold / There is no eye for the hold / the skeleton is beshivered / with surfaces with barbs / hold catatonia"