Fiona Robyn

Ruth doesn't know if she wants to live or die, so she gives herself 92 days to think about it, choosing to mull over her final decision by writing a diary. Some days are better than others, but just as she is picking herself up and dusting herself down, her father is in a car accident. Now they may never reconcile their differences. And her will to stop cutting herself wavers.

Day-by-day Ruth shares her suffering for all to see, as if when she dies it will be a kind of explanation for what she has done. Yet, unbeknown to her, her diary writing also becomes a form of her own therapy. Especially when she decides to "live each day as it's her last" because it almost is. Thinking along the lines that nothing really matters if she is going to die anyway is a sur
efire way to stop worrying about what others think while dealing with difficult situations. But it's a viscous circle. The more she enjoys life and the people around her, the more reasons she has to end it all -- before they leave her and it all goes terribly wrong.

Over time, Ruth learns so much about herself through other relationships. A couple of times she even proves to herself that good things do come when you least expect it, and from the strangest of places. But is it enough, really enough, to convince Ruth to change her mind when she gets to that last page of her diary and reaches her final destination, and must finally decide whether it is all worth it? Has she really got a life worth living for?

On one hand it starts as you would expect a book of this subject to, depressing and tinged, no loaded, with sadness. But it's not as simple as that. Thaw has much more meaning beyond the emotional and physical surface scars of which Ruth burdens herself w
ith. Yes, I could sense her helplessness and desperation, especially through her need to concentrate on the physical (self-harming) to help her forget her emotional pain. On the other hand, this was also a very uplifting book, where beautiful discoveries are made during Ruth's search for that all encompassing magic answer that will make her world better. It may not be enough to keep Ruth going, but whatever the outcome, what I learnt from Ruth's problems and how she chooses to deal with them will resonate with me for a very long time. I truly believe to struggle is to be human, and Thaw proves this in a way which I can only describe as a lesson in being human. Above all, Fiona Robyn reminds us all that no one is perfect and no one should live their life worried about what others may or may not think. You only have one life, enjoy it!… (meer)

Note: This anthology contains my poem, "Bird Collides with Window," so take this review with as big of a grain of salt as you want.

A small stone is a short piece of writing that vividly captures a moment or reveals something beautiful in an everyday event. This anthology is a compilation of such small stones from the editor's e-zine, A Handful of Stones.

Divided into three sections, the first section is an essay that presents a theoretical look at what small stones are and gives insight into how the editors selected the poems that appear in this book. Kasipalita explains that in each small stone, they were looking for Truth, Beauty, Love, and Freshness and explains how they define these generalized terms. It was an interesting essay, which I rather enjoyed reading and works well as an introduction.

The second section is made up of the poems in a variety of forms, from a single line capturing a moment to haiku to bits of evocative prose. The tone ranges from tend to humorous to wistful and everything in between. While I didn't connect with every poem, many showed just how just a few of the right words can vividly evoke an encounter or make you look at an everyday object in a whole new way — a plastic bag in the wind, water in a dirty gutter, an insect — and see them as beautiful.

The final section of the book is a brief introduction to writing small stones over the course of seven days. It has some good ideas in there, but was perhaps too brief and might have benefited from a bit more development. I suppose it would be useful to those new to form, however.

Overall, I'd say this is a wonderful little book, one of which I am pleased and proud to be a part.… (meer)