Kin Types is the newest poetry collection by Luanne Castle in which she recreates the stories of her ancestors. (Read the collection’s opening poem, “Advice from My Forebears” and the inspiration for it here.) She draws you in right away with lines similar to what many of us have heard from our elders, like “Quit scowling or your face will freeze that way” (“Advice from My Forebears,” page 2). I soon found myself immersed in the poems about Dutch immigrants who made their way to Michigan and forged a life, often difficult, judging from many of the poems, but hopeful as well in that these lines are written by their descendant.
From a mother who rushes into a house fire (“An Account of a Poor Oil Stove Bought off Dutch Pete”) to the fast-forwarding and rewinding that recounts the ups and downs of a marriage (“And So It Goes”), from the tale of a family who loses everything (“The Weight of Smoke”) to the names and connections that are uncovered when digging into a family’s history (“Genealogy”), Kin Types is about raising and confronting the ghosts of the past, making sense of the lives that came before us, and honoring the struggles and the sheer grit and determination that keeps the family tree growing over the generations.
Castle’s poems are narrative in style and haunting in that they portray some of the darkest moments in a family’s history, but they give us a glimpse of happiness and hope as well. The quote that opens the collection says it perfectly:
“We’re all ghosts. We all carry, inside us, people who came before us.”
-Liam Callanan
It is easy to see how different today is from the era of the woman portrayed in these poems, but Castle does a brilliant job enabling readers to put ourselves in their shoes, at least for a handful of lines. It is virtually impossible to read Kin Types and not imagine the stories of your ancestors, especially those who you’ve heard about but who lived too long ago for you to have met. This collection is powerful in that, just as in the closing poem, “When Your Grandfather Shows You Photographs of His Mother,” it makes you consider how these long-dead people are reflected in who you are today. Kin Types is the best poetry collection I’ve read in a while, and one I won’t soon forget.
For more about Kin Types and to follow the blog tour, click on the button below:
Disclosure: I received Kin Types from the author for review.
I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for being on the blog tour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLike
[…] Spotlight) Oct. 23: Diary of an Eccentric (Guest Post) Oct. 27: Lost in Books (Review) Nov. 8: Diary of an Eccentric (Review) Nov. 9: Jorie Loves A Story (Review) Nov. 15: Jorie Loves A Story (Interview) TBD: Debra […]
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Writer Site and commented:
A new review up todayfor Kin Types.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for this review of Kin Types. I hope my new poems inspire others to look into the stories of their ancestors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the feeling I’d love this … adding to my list right now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
LikeLike
Beth, you’ll enjoy this one. I thought of you when I saw it the first time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beth, I hope you enjoy it at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. My best to you.
LikeLike
Excellent review. Congratulations, Luanne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, John!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, John! Happy hump day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, Luanne! Congratulations!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for checking out my review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jill, thank you so much! I am eager to read your second book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Luanne is great, I love her stories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, James! Have a great rest of your week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a wonderful book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merril, thank you so much! Your historian+poet’s eye/heart is much appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Great review! I am intrigued by Kin Types!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Hope you get a chance to read it!
LikeLike
Great review! This is a new poet to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
This collection has a unique premise and style! Wonderful review, Anna!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike