Review – Mistakes Were Made, by Juliette Sebock

As a therapist I’ve noticed that, when a person reaches a certain point of grieving, they are able to go through dark times with a soft and thoughtful focus – they are able to delve deeply into everything they’ve lost, pull something out of it, and look at the hurt with a kind of tender science.

Mistakes Were Made, the debut collection of poetry by Juliette Sebock, carries the same grounded significance of looking trauma gently but firmly in the eye.

The author says the work stems from a dark period of their life and their drive to claim some control over the mistakes that were made. With this in mind the poems read like a soft-paced journey through troubled times, wending through different locations and periods along the same thoughtfully melancholy trail.

The chapbook is 22 poems long, meaning it won’t take too much time to conduct a considered and comfortable read, maybe about as long as it takes to get settled on your sofa and enjoy a leisurely cup of good coffee. For a short collection, a lot is packed in about the quiet and the loud moments of life – romance and breakups; uncertainty and confusion; home and away; men, music, and the stars. The delicate power of the work makes the sadness of the portrayed events uplifting as well as mournful, making this well worth a read – I promise it won’t be a mistake.

You can claim Mistakes Were Made for yourself, as well as investigate Sebock’s other creative work, at this website.

Thanks to Juliette Sebock for the review copy! If any authors would like to send me their book for review, I’m always happy to have something new to read.

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