Review
I read this in one setting. The emotions within the words are strong, heartfelt and grab you pulling you in to what the author is feeling. I couldn't put this down and had to will myself not to cry. Her words are raw and real and if you read between the lines there are messages if you look closely. This is the second book I have read by her. Kasey's poetic words are words of the heart. She is an excellent writer when it comes to exposing feelings which isn't easy to do in person and sometimes not always in writing but being a writer myself sometimes it is easy to put feeling to paper. She pours out her soul in these words. If you don't feel something reading these words. Open you mind and you will see.
" Hit the high notes of life and continue to play Because in order for one to truly live They must first lay down die"
" Without the dark I couldn't see the stars at night"-Laura Batton, poet
I had never read a book of Kasey's before and could not imagine how this intelligent, courageous woman would put herself into words. Bittersweet Symphony is exactly that, it's Kasey Hill put into words. In a way that few writers are able to project to the reader, for sheer lack of courage and the will necessary to bare one's soul to that degree.
The idea of scars and music being testimony to what we experience, is a metaphor many of us can relate to. The hope Kasey then provides, is what helps us keep going; "They say that everyone was given a set of wings." (Bittersweet Symphony Part Two). Her honesty is exceptional and you can but admire what it takes to render those deep emotions into poetry; "One hardly gives into themselves while living / Always worrying about how they are perceived / Always held down with constraints / But giving oneself up to Death is so tempting." (Bittersweet Symphony Part Three).
One may be tempted to accuse Kasey of being moribund or depressing. In my estimate, this would be the response of a bitter person, someone whose method of dealing with reality is to either deny anything bad happens, or focus exclusively upon the positive. While that is their prerogative, I would argue, there is absolutely nothing negative about being realistic and seeing things for what they are. Sometimes a person can feel more isolated and alone if they believe everyone else is happy and they are the only one suffering. In which case, reading Kasey's experience(s) would help that person considerably. Like anything, this may not the kind of poetry everyone relates to, but those who will, I suspect, shall gain a great deal from it and the courage it takes to write like this.
Kasey could be described as a confessional poet, her clearly written prosetry, is stark and honest without any pretense and she doesn't fill in the gaps with distraction, she just shoots from the hip; "We find ourselves fighting a never needing battle / Of self-worth / Of self-love / Craving it from those around us / Falling to our knees even we don't pray." (Bittersweet Symphony Part Four). Some find it disquieting to read such raw words, they believe a person writing thus, is vying for attention or sympathy, but that is not how I read this collection of poems, I see it more as you might Sylvia Plath, a real foray into the experience(s) of a woman of today's era, and her true account of her struggles. Whilst this may not be as uplifting as some poetry, there are two ways to find succor in writing. One is the obvious positive-affirmation style we are familiar with in self-help books and the other is where we relate to what someone is saying and it helps us to know others experience similar things to us. Kasey's work falls into the latter category and can as such, reach many with its sincere considerations of living...
Will you walk away from this collection uplifted and ecstatic? Absolutely not. But can you mine many truisms and nod your head as you wander the pages, gaining a fellowship and feeling of not being alone in your twilight thoughts? Certainly. And in my humble estimate, we need to balance the plethora of self-help positivity with a little realism and an acknowledgment that not every day is going to be easy, and life can be a struggle. By no means does this disqualify our fight, or condemn our eventual success. Nor does our journey become invalidated by our struggles, but if anything, stronger as a result, and that is the ultimate message I took away with me upon finishing Bittersweet Symphony. Life is bittersweet, but it is also a song and can be ultimately redemptive and worthwhile, we walk through the darkness toward the light. If we do it together, we are less alone. In this I found a great deal to appreciate and value in Kasey Hill's voice and like her, I believe, by surviving, we ultimately overcome.
- Candice Daquin, poet
