Photo credits: TeeFarm - pixabay Edited by Vaishali Title: Harnessing Light Author: S.B. Goncarova Genre/Themes: Poetry, Anthology, collection of stories, autobiographical Publisher: Clay Grouse Press Year of Publication: 2019 Version: Paperback copy kindly provided by the author ISBN-13: 978-0-9845558-1-9 ISBN-10: 0-9845558-1-1 R E V I E W... And as the vibration of the last vowel signals a culmination, hinging on a response to a rhythm that demands to be carried on, pours into the moulds of silence that relish an awaiting quiet from the stunned observers; as the denouement reaches a demanding settlement that says a syllable, a word, an idiom is not more than extraneous where sound will offer a fairer justice. For words to clog the throats of heavy-hearted watchers who, even for them, an utterance is merely expendable….the crowd silently rises, and like a symphony of rising resonance, from which expels first a tentative striking of fingers to then a sound that rejoices admiration and wonder emanating through the oscillations of those same hands, to then synchronised sporadic applause, a blanket of thunderous hitting hands, and an ovation that propels heels to stand; an offering in the only way people know how when words again prove their mediocre servitude in the face of feeling and donating reverence. Tears run from eyes as a light shines through our tummies and noises sound from our limbs, as we offer thanks that creativity can speak directly to us. That writing can dance its way from pale pages into our consciousness, to touch those parts only words can touch, sinking and swimming to a kernelling essence letting us know that bonds remain ever-present. And as we stand, the husky applause loud enough to fluster the stars and offend the uphill Gods of mist and night, filled with the patterns to wake sleeping babies, singing an intelligible melody appreciated as an unheralded token of love, the curtains begin closing. Closing like a heart after injury, like a car door after a bid goodbye, a film that presses a separation expected but unacceptable. And as I sit there myself as that crimson cloth closes, with a crystal drop sweeping my cheek, a tummy full and hollow for more poetry that weakens and fortifies, butterflies flying restlessly, my legs wobbly from standing amid a crowd of homogeneous admirers, but I don’t want to sit, no. I want to stand until that royal curtain closes completely, a shameful sense of gratitude to offer something less. So I wait until it closes, my head heady, my heart hearty, my sad probing soul still searching, the universe bidding me to still stand because I have no place to sit yet, not until that curtain closes. So, I say of course, I would never do that. And when the two pieces of velvety fabric finally join hands like lovers of red skin I still stand even as my fellows vacate this limbo of poetical bliss. I stand, and I think this is why we were born, to face suggestive stories with humility like a servant waiting on an emperor, like a toddler looking to his mother for guidance; as a lifeless leaf waits for the wind to carry it through a hurricane. I stand a little lifeless with wings beaten and sleepy, my mind moving through eras of thought and trepidation, not wanting to place a puny foot forth but compelled to by a touch both familiar and inherent, a thread of stardust points me to the hush of white noise, and I hear sound whispers in a spherical language telling me that silence will not always be your friend dear and the dark will not always pocket your grief, sometimes it Is your duty to make other friends, to make some noise outside of your physical body, so the world knows that you are still alive, something throbbing in a hollow cavity sits there, something moving in this feeble body there is, but you must breed and breathe that which keeps you from fading…and I think now I must crack a pot of daily fidelity and oh my dear find a way to harness some light. I couldn't have started the month of December off in any better way than reading 'Harnessing Light'.... S.B. Goncarova poses a running message in ‘Harnessing Light’ that let’s us know she has a story to tell, and if we entwine fingers with this woman who travels the land as much as she ponders the state of it, we’ll appreciate an examining, ruminating, pacing, passing, searching narrative that beautifully puts into words, with precious melancholy, the intimate short-lasting touches of life and long-lasting feelings infused with simple moments of bliss and isolated fissures of grief and the hollow anxieties embedded in culture that bind this search for life and home all together. A pensive, focused examination and an insightful piece of writing inscribed with a dexterous hand that transforms the everyday, the mundane into something questioning, meaningful, relative and unforgettable. ‘Harnessing Light’ casts a clear, compassionate sight on life as each piece of poetry and prose offers something to treasure, something to cherish, to pocket and water as the reader feels compelled to hold reflection and ponder with a silent mind in a silent room a way to find answers. From the very first page I formed a connective with this bounty that’s named ‘Harnessing Light’, and it was a bond that only bound me tighter with each story that passed my sight. Such grace, beauty and measurable sensation saturates each page and each sentence and yet Goncarova needs no more than a mere sentence or page to offer a rich, plentiful passage that enters a realm of what I consider to be ‘reachably’ human tenor and subtly potent storytelling. With fleeting passages mournfully gallant in depth, ‘Harnessing Light’ has imaginatively reachable descriptions, communicating thoughts that rely not on convolutions but primply selective lines of language; it’s magic comes from the nimble fingers which write significance with effortless simplicity, clarity charm and wondrous woe. We are bound in ways that aren’t of the flesh, tethered through means and memories, places, objects and people that form these occult connections. Our search sometimes lies in others, alternative lives, nature and nurture, but with a heavy dose of introspection and and an even bigger one of compassionate understanding is what ‘Harnessing Light’ looks to from the perspective of a wanderer, lonely and flipping through pages of her memory as she finds a way to move froward even though she doesn’t know the best way. Living is chartless, surviving is not always a choice but a necessity, comfort is a luxury, searching is an inherent drive that lets us trek concrete roads of the outside and fleshy walls of the inside. We like to think of ‘home’ as a fixed place or a person, but sometimes home is a fleeting feeling felt through memory, or a familiar sensation exposed in what makes us feel accepted, an inviting phenomenon that offers comfort and stability, a center sitting at the heart of chaos is what it sometimes is. And as we follow the life of this woman whose choices are mirrored in the lives, places and contemplations within her, a call to consider her own methods of living, she considers recourse, distance, renewal and entropy as the narrator expresses a realistic impressionable philosophy that probes beyond the film of experience with comprehension. It’s not common for me to re-read a book unless it’s personally worth re-living or re-examining but ‘Harnessing Light’ is a light that I’ll try to keep on harnessing; a book that I know I’ll pick up once again. It has that quality that spells invitation, that says I’ll be here waiting for you to rifle through me, to keep searching until you find what you’re looking for. I’m the type of person who has to take her time with reading because I have the luxury of time to give and appreciate what an author has so meticulously crafted with endurance and careful ministration - I feel as if I can offer nothing less but to wring a complete experience and see life through an alternative imagination.. and this little gem enabled me to indeed take my sweet, sweet time, as one tends to do with poetry. When something reads so effortlessly, it can often mean it wasn’t inscribed with that same ease, and with brilliant editing I could really appreciate the effort of the harnessing attention that went into the making of ‘Harnessing Light’ It’s very hard to name a few of my favourite pieces of writing in this book because I enjoyed every single one!…but some of my favourites were ‘For He who once built me a throne of snow’, ‘The Crumbling House’, ‘To Andromeda and back’, ‘To cage a prince’ and ‘Shadow Work’…but again I could name every piece for a different reason. So eloquent, so effectively simple, so credibly touching, a timeless gift to sear into my own memory. A fine wine to sip from when thirst is unquenched by anything else. I felt something pulling, tugging, questioning that buried well of swirling emotions within. Demanding that at least take notice and listen. ‘Harnessing Light’ is a natural, relatable rhythm that explains life in an extraordinarily terrestrial and charmingly mournful narrative that expresses meticulous beauty, aching throes and bittersweet brevity. A stunning way to begin the month of December for me. Each piece held something memorable - each story tells a story - simple stories on the surface that probe an image much deeper. A story that felt very human. A story worth receiving and one worth remembering. A narrative reaffirming and reassuring what is already unbearably uncertain. I gave this book 5 stars- A huge, HUGE thank you to S.B. Goncarova for offering me a copy of 'Harnessing Light' in exchange for an honest review! --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- ____________________________________ R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● Blog Interview with S.B. Goncarova ____________________________________ I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers! Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! SHARE ON FACEBOOK L E A V E A C O M M E N T A N D L E T' S T A L K A B O U T |
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