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Review: “The Sun and Her Flowers”

By Angelique D’Alessandro
Assistant Online Editor

“The Sun and Her Flowers” is the second book of poetry by Rupi Kaur, author of “Milk and Honey.” Released Oct. 3, 2017, the book focuses on Kaur’s personal growth in terms of life and relationships. The book is split into five sections of short poems, entitled “Wilting,” “Falling,” “Rooting,” “Rising,” and “Blooming.” 

In “Wilting,” Kaur’s poems focus on themes of abandonment, loneliness, and sadness. In one poem, she writes, “It isn’t what we left behind / that breaks me / it’s what we could’ve built / had we stayed.” This poem shows her emotional response to losing the opportunity to grow with the one she loved.

Throughout the next section, “Falling,” Kaur focuses on her own body image issues and her lack of self-worth. She discusses feeling a disconnect between her true self and who she has become, and writes “It felt like you threw me / so far from myself / I’ve been trying to nd my way back / ever since.” This poem is accompanied by an illustration of a gure of a man and his shadow, with the shadow representing her disconnect from herself.

Throughout “Falling,” Kaur’s poetry changes in tone, discussing the process of growth and turning towards positivity. In one short poem, the author writes “Like the rainbow / after the rain / joy will reveal itself / after sorrow,” showing that she believes her sadness is not permanent. This could evoke a feeling of hope in readers, who see Kaur beginning to heal after sadness.

“Rooting,” the third section of the book, focuses on Kaur’s relationship with the world, and how she feels about immigration and the borders between people. She also focuses her poetry on her mother, who was an immigrant. The themes of childbirth and lineage permeate this section, which could connect to readers who, like Kaur, have familial bonds to those who have immigrated.

In “Rising,” Kaur shows herself beginning to love again. She writes “If you got any more beautiful / the sun would leave its place / and come for you,” showing that she has fallen hard for a new person, and she has opened herself to the possibility of real love.

In the final section, “Blooming,” the author’s healing and growth has given her insight into herself and the world. In a poem titled “legacy,” she writes “I stand / on the sacrifices / of a million women before me / thinking / what can I do / to make this mountain taller / so the women after me / can see farther.” Readers can see Kaur’s journey as an inspirational path towards self-acceptance, as she tries to spread her self-love on to others.

On the last page of the novel, Kaur writes an inspirational message to her readers, telling them through metaphor that there is never a time when they should give up hope. “We might not hear it at times, but the music is always on. It just needs to be turned louder. For as long as there is breath in our lungs, we must keep dancing.”

“The Sun and Her Flowers” is an inspiring book that highlights Kaur’s internal growth. Kaur’s poetry shows that one can prevail through heartbreak and anyone can learn to love themselves. For those that want to grow in self-love, “The Sun and Her Flowers” is a book of poems that will motivate any reader to live life to its fullest potential.

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