First published 1996
Eleanor Brown's inaugural poetry collection delivers sharp observations about romantic relationships and their inevitable complications. The poems move between tender explorations of affection and biting commentary on love's failures. Brown demonstrates particular skill in capturing the voice of someone seeking payback after romantic betrayal, most memorably in "Bitcherel," a piece that has appeared in numerous anthologies since publication. Her verses balance genuine emotion with cutting humor, creating portraits of relationships that feel both specific and universal. The collection earned recognition as a shortlisted work for the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, establishing Brown as a poet capable of finding both comedy and pathos in matters of the heart.
Genres: romance, poetry, relationships, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Period: 21st-century
72 pages · Paperback · Bloodaxe Books