Book Review: Finally This by Kathleen Byron Etzel

“And if by chance we die when young,
Who shall give our love to
An angered daughter or son?
Shall we believe that we do not die?
Shall we, those left to survive,
Believe that our spirits are but eternally alive?”

Kathleen Byron Etzel, Finally This

Review:

Finally This is a poetry collection that tells a story of love, grief, growth, and change. Told in three parts, the author reflects on different stages of life and experience. I won’t say there is a distinct plot to follow, but there is an emotional journey with a vague, linear story beneath. 

Part one, Searching, captures the feelings that surround meeting someone and feeling a kindred connection to them. It touches on falling in love, beauty, closeness, joy, and that feeling of everyone else in the world melting away.

Part two, Feeling, focuses more on loss and longing, a specific kind of grief. With this grief comes anger, isolation, too much time spent in one’s own head, and trying to make sense of the changes life heaps upon us, especially when that change involves goodbyes.

Part three, Knowing, evokes a sense of soul-searching clarity and the process of coming to know oneself through trials. It’s a return to joy in a way, not unscathed, but wanting to make it through and wanting peace.

The style of poetry here is lyrical, sometimes fragmented, sometimes rhyming, and always full of heart. I can see many of these poems being put to music and turned into songs. I enjoyed it, however, with some of the shorter and more ambiguous verse sections, I had to reread them several times to make sure I was gathering the intended meaning. That being said, I do read poetry irregularly, so I have to regain the rhythm of verse most of the time regardless.

Readers who enjoy personal and introspective poetry will enjoy this book immensely, especially given that it reads somewhat like a memoir. Even though the content itself wasn’t relatable for me personally, I found it to be a strong glimpse into another human’s inner life, which is always the main thing I’m looking for when I pick up a book of poetry. Of all genres, poetry is the greatest opportunity to exercise empathy.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing me with a free digital copy of the book!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Beautiful prose.

What I didn’t like:

• Choppy in a few places.

Afterthoughts:

Always a treat to find nice poetry!

Where to buy the book: