This was a read aloud with our family and it definitely followed an epic adventure of Matthias. At times the world building made the story confusing (how big is a cow? How big is a cat) and this older book definitely pushes what is “kid appropriate” (definitely doesn’t shy away from war but is not overly gore-y). Overall a classic book for adventurous older kids!

I remember how popular this book was when it came out, and this edition shared some insights to Kaur’s life at the time, and I didn’t know that Instagram period photo was her!

Overall this wasn’t a collection of themes I gravitate towards or feel satiated by. I value it as good work for someone else, and she provides insights and perspectives on her unfortunately common experience in such a raw and philosophical way.

I did however forget what exact themes were explored and it wasn’t the type of book I was looking for. I’m just getting back into poetry and was searching for inspiration in my life. And while there were a few pages that did really resonate with me that I added to my reading journal and annotated, overall I think I should have skipped this book.

Trigger warnings: themes of rape, incest, trauma, abuse, abusive relationships, self pleasure