5/5 stars
What's it about? Channeling experience, myth, and art, Sotelo muses on sexuality and the trauma created by men in this winning first collection.
How’d I find it? Actually, this book found me. At J. Michaels Books in Eugene, I casually opened Virgin to “My Father & de Chirico Asleep on Chairs of Burnt Umber" and dissolved into tears. Had to have it.
Who will enjoy this book? This is Kendra DeColo for the younger set. If you haven’t read her, try “I Pump Milk Like a Boss.”
What stood out? Sotelo’s tone is familiar and conversational, bringing levity to topics that would otherwise weigh down the book. She takes on absent fathers and the sexualization of girls while making me smile. The language is gorgeous, and this Greek mythology nerd loved her riffs on Ariadne and Persephone. Virgin has it all: cohesion, wit, beauty, and relevance. Aside from the aforementioned poem, “Ariadne Discusses Theseus in Relation to the Minotaur” was my favorite.
Which line made me feel something? From “I’m Trying to Write a Poem about a Virgin and It’s Awful:” “everyone knows the best shadows always look like the worst kinds of men”
Amen, sister.