Trigger warning: Body dysmorphia, delusions, suicidal intentions and self harm.

Written from the very depths of personal experiences, these poems are raw, genuine, visceral and poignant. They don't try to sugarcoat to reduce the impact on their readers. The poems are hard-hitting and unapologetically so, emphasizing on the several aspects of mental illnesses that is often considered taboo in our society. It discusses the experiences of growing up in a religious family, feeling different from other children, being constantly at war with one's own mind and getting routine medical check-ups at hospitals; the futility and consequent despair involved in the whole process of being diagnosed repetitively and treated as illnesses can be sometimes incurable, chronic or barely manageable with medication, and whose symptons and causes are just as vague or overlapping with other illnesses.

What makes this collection so unique is its authorial voice that never attempts to shy away from the readers. One might also notice a first-person point of view that reflects the internal monologues and conflicts that the poet or any other person with similar issues could be dealing with, or how being genderfluid can affect their thought processes, how a certain delusion could be influencing them to do things that can be potentially harmful to them. Yes, it is dangerous but it is also important to realise that a person with schizophrenia is still a human just like us and we need to stop distancing ourselves from them simply out of fear, fear of the unknown or unfamiliar. This poetry collection reminds us that people are more than their mental illnesses and that everyone deserves to be understood and empathised with, instead of being avoided.

The poet says, "I know the physicality of insanity," and immediately we visualize mental illness as a corporeal thing, a thing of the real world, no longer a fragment in our imagination or existing in the subjective realm of thoughts. Lines such as, "I just wanted to be me -/ small and chestless and one of the group forever" and "I am too human,/ how can I proclaim/ a prayer/ worthy of your attention?" resonate through us long after we have closed the book. If you're someone who is passionate about mental illnesses and queer experiences, you will enjoy and savour this anthology.