Poems about love are overrated. They tend to be generally very corny, full of stereotypical messages of eternal happiness, or underwhelming laments of unrequited infatuations, eliciting no real emotion or reaction from the reader. But this collection of poetry and micro-fiction hover over the edge of cliché, painting the nuances of falling in love, staying in love and choosing the same person as "the one" over and over again, while reflecting newer perspectives that each stage of our lives can bring into the frame. The title of the book, The Evolution of Love, does justice to the different forms of love that transcend time or logic throughout these pieces.

They move us in ways we were last touched in our personal encounter with love, forcing us to blink away the tears and gulp the stubborn lump that begins to form in our throats in a frail attempt to overlook the visceral nature of such strong feelings. Love is no longer a fleeting emotion, rather, it takes on a tangible shape, becoming a way of being, a mode of living itself. It is the reason why people cling to one another in hopes for better days and it is what results in the desperation that follows the loss of our dear ones. It encompasses the small joys we keep tucked away in our memories, and the special moments with all the glory of their insignificant minute details. All that comes together in this carefully selected bundle of writing like in a final exuberance of celebration.

Elison immortalizes the emotions that we often experience in the throes of our passion, whether it is lust, mutual respect, love or even spiritual connection with someone who understands us at a deeper level. This book makes you see beyond the facades and pretensions of present day's prescriptive love affairs, it is almost a tribute to the sense of believing in true love and fighting for it vigorously, despite the apparent futility of seeking something so vague and uncertain. It harks back to the power of genuine relationships, the strength in loving with the ideology of accepting a person for who they are, irrespective of their flaws and past baggage. Perhaps, one can sum it up in the poet's own words as, "Loving is the bravest thing/any of us will ever do." Recommended for all those who enjoy reading sensitive, soul-stirring pieces on the matters of the heart and the soul.