“To every teen out there who thinks they’re alone.” ❤️

Red Verses | Pearlina Gracelyn

#BookReview

One of the most joyous moments for a professor is to see their student transition from a novice to a scholar, from a blank page to an author!

As such I am so overjoyed to write this review for one of our best students - Ms. Pearlina Gracelyn’s lovely book which I would proudly call - a soulful poetic memoir!

The book starts with a dedication -

“To every teen out there who thinks they’re alone.”

The book also has a soulful epigraph –

“The courage to love in this mortal and ever-fleeting world is something to be celebrated.”

Then, the author also explicitly states that her book presents life as lived through the eyes of a teenage girl, capturing her raw, unfiltered realities.

Indeed all the 49 chapters of the book offer the reader a slice of raw, unfiltered realities from the author’s teenage life!

In this regard, one interesting feature about Pearlina’s book is that, she provides contextual prose before most of her poems, which provides her readers with an intimate and deeply personal experience that everyone of us can relate and also empathise with!

That way, one of her avowed goals through her writing is to offer comfort and care, aiming to show readers who have faced similar struggles that they are not alone!

Moreover, Pearlina uses her writing as an emotional outlet to process her resentment and her grief. Indeed, a significant portion of the anthology, recounts the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the author’s family. It is also the most deeply affecting section of the book, and her poem titled, "Cherished" acts as a poignant, melancholic elegy.

I cherished every moment with you, / and I would’ve cherished it more, / but you went without a warning / and it disheartens me every morning.

Pearlina frankly discusses her destructive coping mechanisms during the year 2022, and the deep-seated insecurity of feeling like a secondary option. A major turning point in the text is the author’s spiritual awakening during her college years and she credits God as her sole reason for living and her anchor through her darkest moments.

The charm of Pearlina’s poetry lies in its candid touch. She is refreshingly candid about her craft, stating she does not consider her poems to be profound literary works. Instead, the writing serves as a raw mechanism for managing her darkest thoughts. Her poetic tone is often melancholic and urgent, but the prose sections offer a mature, retrospective voice that looks back on her past pain with sympathy and how she has evolved into a stronger and better version of herself.

On this note, I feel that, despite the thematic focus on trauma, the collection is ultimately an arc of redemption! For example, in her poem titled, “Confessions”, Pearlina displays a mature willingness to introspect and apologise, realising that healing requires both standing up for oneself and possessing the humility to acknowledge one’s own transgressions.

One of my favourite poems is the one on “Growing Up” –

Growing up

Is like untying knots.

It’s like you’ve always had this rope,

And Day by day,

Lesson by lesson, you start noticing where it’s tied.

Untying it will be hard, as we all know, old habits die hard.

But if taken gently, and untied with utmost patience,

It makes a lasting impact.

Untying makes the rope longer,

as when you put off unhealthy habits, life does seem longer.

In a good way of course.

Things, thoughts, people.

That use to bother and rue the day,

Seem childish to one with good ways.

Furthermore, in "What is Love?", she completely redefines her understanding of affection, moving away from toxic paradigms to embrace a love rooted in patience, kindness, and spiritual grace –

But you taught me, so patiently / Love is joy, / Love is life, / Love is everything / We are called to one another, what a joy.

In essence, Red Verses is a raw, coming-of-age exploration of a teenager's darkest valleys and hardest lessons. It concludes on a triumphant and uplifting note, redefining happiness not as external success, but as the peaceful realisation that life will eventually be okay.

Ultimately, Pearlina leaves her readers with a powerful message about the necessity of self-confidence and learning to stand up for oneself thereby providing a lovely roadmap for healing - proving that our most vulnerable verses are often our most victorious as well!

As such, it would be apt to sign off on this blogpost with a lovely quote by Edith Wharton who once noted –

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

With Red Verses, Pearlina has bravely chosen to be both - reflecting on her own life’s journey as a teenager, even while offering her writing as guiding lights for those who still feel alone, through her will to write!