MILK AND HONEY BOOK REVIEW

Warning: May contain spoilers!

Hello fellow readers, just a small reminder that these are MY opinions only and if you read this book, you may feel differently.

Summary: "Milk and Honey" is the experience of violence. abuse. love. loss. femininity. The book is divided into four chapters. Each chapter serves a different purpose. deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look. (Source: http://www.rupikaur.com/milkandhoney)

Now when I talk about this "book," I use the term very loosely just because I found it more of a diary or journal. It was written by 23 year old Rupi Kaur and though her age may throw people off, make no mistake that this girl is the real deal.Her early years of raw pain and hurt are stained on each page she writes and she gives no mercy- especially to herself. Her poems paint a picture of a little girl first growing up in a home where she felt like women had no power and men were greedy. She opens up about her uncle and how he raped her when she was a child, as well as the distance she has with her absentee father. The magic thing about her words is she never directly tells readers what happens, but she leaves everything to interpretation.

Rupi divided the novel into three sections or chapters so to speak: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, the healing. Though I found the each chapter had beautiful words, the one I connected with and honestly loved the most was the hurting. The best stories derive from pain, and it is the pain that I understand. The chapter about loving was sweet and cute however I personally have never experienced those intense emotions, so it didn't speak to me like the rest.

It's clear Rupi Kaur knows who she is and what she wants out of the poetry written. She writes with no rules or any intention of using literary devices,she just speaks from the heart. There is nothing to over analyze, its just food for the soul. There are even illustrations in the book, not colorful or over the top drawings, rather pencil sketches that add to the unspoken theme of the bare minimum. The only criticisms are that most times she was very literal when describing certain words, and not that I think poetry should be cryptic, its just that the poetry I enjoy leaves a little mystery and keeps you thinking. Although, her words are easy to read, making it relatable to many people.

If you aren't comfortable with sexuality, this is not the book for you. Rupi has talks about her sexual experiences quite often and she doesn't hold back. She compares them to objects, using cantaloupes and canvas' to describe sex itself. Some might find it appauling and at times I wondered if it was too much information, but it made the book what it was. A lot people nowadays censor themselves for fear of reject or standing out, but Rupi throws old norms out the window. I applaud her for her courage and bravery because writing is like giving a piece of you to someone and in "Milk and Honey" she gave her her body and her soul.

Some of my favorite lines I've heard in my 17 years are in this book and though its simple, its sweet. The title is very fitting because her words go down like milk and honey, smooth and sweet.

A little sample of the book and what it offers is "The idea that we are so capable of love but still choose to be toxic." My favorite line by far. If you read the book, there many quotable phrases and many that you'l find match what's in your heart.

I give this book a 4/5 because it was creative, inspiring and honest. All you could really want in literature and all you could ever ask for.

#reviews #literature