Thank you to the author for the gifted eARC!

In What Good Is Heaven, disability poetics scholar Dr. Raye Hendrix offers a deeply evocative collection of poems that navigate the complexities of queerness within the rural Christian culture of their home state, Alabama. With a poignant dedication, "For the places we love that don’t love us back," Hendrix sets the tone for a journey through a landscape as beautiful as it is brutal, where wonder and violence coexist.

Hendrix's mastery of language is evident throughout the collection, where even the briefest poems deliver profound impact. The opening poems immerse us in the speaker's upbringing on a farm, surrounded by the raw vitality of wildlife and natural growth. These early experiences are captured with a sense of curiosity about the organic nature of bodies and the legacies they carry, both physical and emotional. The poems document the violence inherent in rural life, such as the speaker's lessons about death through their father's mercy killings of animals. These moments of mercy linger, haunting the speaker and resonating with the collection's central question: What good is heaven?

The writing style in What Good Is Heaven is nothing short of lyrical, blending vivid imagery with poignant, often melancholic reflections. Hendrix employs rich sensory details to create a strong sense of place and atmosphere, using the natural world to mirror the speaker's emotional states. The language is intimate yet expansive, seamlessly moving between personal confessions and broader existential musings, with a rhythm that feels almost musical.

Themes of love, pain, and the struggle for self-understanding are intricately woven through the poems. Hendrix explores the paradoxes of care and harm, as the speaker grapples with being nurtured and hurt by their surroundings. The collection critically examines the repressive and abusive aspects of rural Christian upbringing, particularly its impact on the speaker's queerness. Hendrix's work critiques religious and cultural norms, juxtaposing these with a profound connection to the land—a connection that is fraught and ambivalent. The poems question what it means to call a place "home" when that place has caused so much pain. Despite the harsh realities depicted, there is also a sense of resilience and the pursuit of self-acceptance.

Some standout poems in this collection include "There Were Daisies," "Animal Instinct," "No Angels Here," "Blood in the Milk," "Husk Hymn," "Bottomfeeder," "Catalog of Acceptable Violence," and "Ripening." Each poem is a testament to Hendrix's ability to evoke deep emotions and provoke thoughtful reflection on the intersections of identity, place, and belonging.

In What Good Is Heaven, Raye Hendrix offers a powerful exploration of what it means to love and be loved by a place that is both nurturing and hostile. Through their evocative and lyrical poetry, Hendrix invites readers to reflect on their own connections to home, identity, and the natural world. I can’t wait to see what Dr. Raye does next!

📖 Recommended For: Readers who appreciate evocative and lyrical poetry, those interested in the intersection of queerness and rural Christian America, anyone who values stories of personal and existential reflection, fans of Mary Oliver and Ocean Vuong.

🔑 Key Themes: Queer Identity and Acceptance, The Tension Between Love and Pain, The Natural World and Rural Life, Critique of Religious and Cultural Norms, The Complexities of Home and Belonging.