Review: A Strangely Wrapped Gift by Emily Byrnes & Lizzy Duga

Published October 21st 2017

In these pages, you will find journeys from childhood to today, from mental illness to recovery, from heartbreak to heart growth, from hopelessness to empowerment, and from the ocean to the stars.

It’s so difficult for me to review poetry, it’s so personal to the author, and even if I don’t connect with it, it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. I loved the themes of this collection. Love, loss, mental health, recovery, and LGBTQ+.

The style was unique and even though it wasn’t a style I prefer, I liked that it was unique. I also liked the consistency through out the book, there’s wasn’t any noticeable filler poems. Because of the style, I couldn’t really connect deeply with the entire book but I could relate to the themes and I appreciated the consistency.