In the shadowed recesses of human emotion, The White Horse gallops through a haunting landscape of vulnerability and resurgence.
Reviewed by Max Marten
Feature image credit: Ship Street Poetry
Brace yourself if you’re hunting for a deep emotional plunge because Debra May Silver’s The White Horse is a torrent of raw human emotion. Ready for a departure from those worn-out tales of mundane heartbreaks? Strap in; this is a journey into the uncharted waters of the human psyche.
For those already familiar with Silver’s repertoire (My Rabid F—— Soul or Rise Up Rabid Souls), this offering feels like the next crescendo in her symphony of sentiments. Alongside the brilliance of illustrator Ashley M. Graetz, the book comes alive, painting a panorama of emotion.
The texture of this tome is peculiarly cool, almost as if designed to soothe its readers’ burning curiosities and tumultuous thoughts. Silver’s narrative is raw and visceral, laid out with the vulnerability of an open diary.
Journey to page 77, and you’re suspended on a cliff’s edge, staring into a chasm. But wait for it: from page 150, there’s a resurgence, a dawn of hope, that finally turns the reader into their own majestic White Horse.
Immersed in this narrative are signature strokes — shades of the Gothic, echoes of Edgar Allan Poe, and hints of Alice Cooper. It becomes a mesmerising dance of word and illustration combined with Graetz’s images. It’s meticulously crafted, with every line and image resonating with intention.
It might be time to redirect your compass if you came looking for poetic structures as predictable as a ticking clock or rhymes as straightforward as a well-trodden path. The White Horse beckons readers into its profound depths, asking them to embark with nothing but the light of their own intuition. Within, you won’t just discover an exposed soul but a mirror reflecting the complex labyrinth of your emotions and experiences.
Those expecting the polished cadence of a Shakespearean sonnet, or the simple satisfaction of a rhymed quatrain, would best look elsewhere. Silver’s The White Horse demands more from its readers. It’s not just a book but an experience that requires immersion in its dark depths with nothing but a torch for guidance. Within its pages, readers will find a soul and a mirror reflecting their deepest fears and desires.
Born in South Australia, Silver’s meticulously crafted narrative is both vast in its reach and intimate in its impact. Every word is a gem, every line a testament to literary craftsmanship.
The White Horse stands as an enigma in dim corridors where emotions flicker like candlelight. Its essence is cold to the touch, mirroring the chilling embrace of the grave, a sensation at once unsettling and eerily comforting. But its coolness will cradle the reader’s hand in the swelter of a summer’s day, a balm amidst the heat. Beyond its textual experience, the book beckons with a tactile allure, drawing one into its contradictions and anomalies. It is an anathema, challenging the boundaries of sensory experience.
To wrap this up, The White Horse isn’t just a book — it’s an expedition into the heart of humanity. Dive in and be prepared for a tale that shines brightly on the literary horizon. An unquestionable five stars!
Reviewed by Max Marten
X (Formerly Twitter): @AussieMaxMarten
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Ship Street Poetry
Released: May 2023
RRP: $40
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