LatinosUSA

I frequently see Brian Bilston’s poems on Facebook and am usually amused by them. When I learned he had published a book, Diary of a Somebody, I bought a copy.

I have a rule that if I’m not enjoying a book by page 60, I gift it to someone. I still have Mr. Bilston’s book, so that will tell you something. However, there were times when his writing depressed me. Alternatively, there were times of joy. I read pages about the unlikeable protagonist, hoping joy awaited overleaf. That wasn’t always the case, but I soldiered on, knowing I would find pleasure soon. If you like poetry, you’ll find an abundance. Some are written to the rhythm of popular music, and I sometimes read them with the cadence in my head. Some weren’t as easy to parse.

The book is a diary of a year in the fictitious (I hope) poet’s life. A storyline is drawn out too much at the start, and it rushes to a conclusion in the last few pages. But the main thing is the poetry, with a new poem on almost every page. I shall read the book again one day, believing that it will be more enjoyable because I know the story. Does that make sense?

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