Review by Booklist Review
In her second poetry collection, following Poukahangatus (2022), Tibble returns with lyrics that are vibrant and alive with the Māori culture of her ancestors. "I breathe life / which is why my mother tongue / can still sing despite / its history of whippings." Tibble's vernacular is distinctly Gen Z, and readers may want to consult an online Kiwi Dictionary for help with terms like skux, cark, and waka. Yet she also reaches deep into her heritage in ways that surface in quick lists of clothing and accessories: "Air Force 1s, slacker jeans, jaw of the whale, bandanna bunny tails." Indeed, Tibble's speakers obsess over high fashion, whether it's a manicure "done in the colour True Kardashian Neutral" or a purchase of "the wrong-coloured lipstick from Yves Saint Laurent." A series of narrative prose poems chronicles an extended love affair and counterbalances the fleeting viscerality of other poems: "I was the animal / baiting the animal out of him." Charged like a humid Pacific night before a thunderstorm, Tibble's electric lyrics prove that she is a poet to watch.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ma¯ori poet Tibble (Poukahangatus) meditates on the turbulence of youth and the spiritual guidance of her ancestors in her sagacious and impishly outspoken second collection. These poems engage with overt and overlooked subjugation, the weight of expectation, and the quest for self-containment in piquant, virtuosic stream of consciousness fused with ripe sensuality and robust lyricism. Playful slang, refreshing impropriety, and the Ma¯ori language establish an aura of authenticity and relatability that Gen Z and Millennials specifically will appreciate. Hilarious, punchy one-liners are ubiquitous--from the vision of AI strippers and the concept of "slutty food" to "taking boyfriends/ like appointments with a doctor." Indulgence is epitomized in a summary of nights out, employed by exquisite wordplay: "Hoarded invitations to swanky lobotomies/ where I sipped Dom Perignon and rolled my eyes in divination." In the collection's denouement, Tibble basks in the embrace of her ancestors: "They gas me full tank and/ yas me in the mirror/ as I summon them out of me with/ my mascara wands and glitter." Refulgent moons, fevered trysts, and racing cars backdrop the speaker's search for true fulfillment. These poems pulsate with the heightened emotions of formative years. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Tibble (Poūkahangatus), an Indigenous poet from Aotearoa, celebrates youth, friendship, and the pride that comes from being an urban Māori. Narrating her own work, Tibble's voice vibrates with energy and humor as she describes herself and her friends, the "Lil Mermaidz," strong and able to race the boys for "Western feminism" even as they recognize their true job: "to dive dumb / into the skin of the sea and throw / our heads full of good hair skywards, / saluting the sun." In the book's middle section, Tibble turns to prose poems. With a more somber tone, she immerses listeners in the uncertainty and intoxication of passing sexual encounters, which range from underwhelming to shame-inducing to exhilarating. Even as she revels in the vibrancy of youth, Tibble pays homage to her ancestors who ride with her: "They twerk on the roof of the Uber / as I'm pulling up late to the party. / They gas me full tank and yas me in the mirror / as I summon them out of me with my mascara wands and glitter." VERDICT Tibble's collection is at once sensual, playful, and contemplative. This can't-miss audio fairly glows.--Sarah Hashimoto
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