A Complex Accident of Life by Jessica McHugh

A Complex Accident of Life Reviews

• 
  Nina The Wandering Reader

  “Like a dark fairy-tale she hated the tomb of love and decided to live in tragedy.”
  
  I couldn’t let National Poetry Month pass us by without sharing a recommendation and a reading experience that was completely new to me.
  
  I’m not a big poetry person (outside of Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickenson). When I do venture to read it, I prefer poetry to possess a dark and unconventional beauty. Jessica McHugh’s A COMPLEX ACCIDENT OF LIFE checks those boxes. This collection of poems is actually my first dive into blackout poetry—a form of writing where the poet pulls choice words from a pre-existing text and recycles them, blocking out the rest of the text and creating a brand new work of literary art. In this case, McHugh was inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!
  
  I don’t know how to review poetry, but I do know I was struck by McHugh’s talent for weaving something new from a beloved classic. This is a collection I would want to accompany me on my leisurely walks through the cemetery in Autumn. These poems are filled with rage and beauty, they are wistful yet heartening, accentuating the complexities of both the creator and the creation.
  
  Below are just two poems out of the many that were personal favorites of mine:
  
  “I exist to be remade into something beautiful, monstrous, and honest, and to color everyone in my altering horror.”
  
  “Do not dread the monster I was. I was confined in grief. I was ill–unbounded and unremitting to the monster–and prized a disturbed imagination.”
  
  I’m now eager to explore Jessica McHugh’s other blackout poetry collections!
• 
  Stephanie M. Wytovich

  If I had to pick my top three favorite books of all time, they would be: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson¸ The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Needless to say, I crave and devour Frankenstein adaptations, and my most recent favorite, prior to Jessica McHugh’s release, was Junji Ito’s Frankenstein (which, yes, please go immediately add this to your TBR list!). There’s just something about the story and how it focuses on the lines between humanity and monstrosity that gets me every time, and so when McHugh announced that she would be publishing a collection of blackout poetry titled A Complex Accident of Life, strictly made from Shelley’s lightning rod of a book, I knew that I had to immediately get my hands on it.
  Now I’ve been on the writing scene with McHugh for quite some time now, and while I’ve read her prose (shout of to The Green Kangaroos!), I was somewhat a newbie to her poetry. Having said that, I love the energy and emotion that she forever brings to her novels and to her general outlook about the horror/weird genres, so I was excited to see what she did with Shelley’s work, and my god, I was not disappointed.
  
  When it comes to the poetry I’ve read so far this year, McHugh’s collection is a standout favorite, hands down. I could not stop reading this beautiful, haunting, seductive book, and I would gladly paper the walls of my house with her blackout poetry if my husband and I didn’t already fight about me turning our home into a witchy, horror hovel.
  
  A few favorites of mine were:
  
  • “A Girl of Twenty”;
  • “Blooming”;
  • “Restrained but Firm”;
  • “Expected Disciple”;
  • “A Solitary Chamber; and
  • “Bent Branches.”
  
  “Bent Branches,” probably my favorite poem and blackout portrayal in the entire book, has a little bit of everything thematically that I love to see tackled in horror and in literature in general. This is a piece that speaks to the entirety of the collection because it talks about the beautiful grotesque, violence against women, strength and empowerment, sexuality, and the sadistic and masochistic thirst for power. I loved experiencing these short, emotionally packed, image-forward pieces that dissected womanhood, the complex nature of gender and sexuality, as well as the forever changing definition surrounding what constitutes a monster.
  
  As an added intellectual tease, McHugh, much like Shelly, incorporates a fair amount of philosophical discourse into her poems that not only stares down the abyss, but dares it to stare back at her. I loved the Nietzschean and Burkean vibes that were filtered throughout, forever commenting on aspects of nihilism and the sublime, and I have no doubt that Mary Shelley is clapping in her grave somewhere, overjoyed and excited about how Frankenstein was turned into and adapted into such a wonderful collection that evoked the monstrous feminine in a way that gives credit, support, and love to every mother of horror out there.
  
  I give this book 5/5 lightning bolts.
• 
  Mindi

  Review to follow...
• 
  Brooke Warra

  McHugh is perfectly on point in this collection of blackout poetry. It is surprising, beautiful, at times even humorous, and altogether a wonderful, inspiring read. If you want to see an old, iconic take through a startling new lens, this book is for you. Also, do yourself a huge favor and check out literally anything from this author. She was an instant favorite of mine since grabbing a copy of PINS several years ago.
• 
  Hailey Piper

  At once conveying a very different journey for Frankenstein, a study posing author as both creator and creature, and a dissection on life and society, in so many words Jessica McHugh's blackout poetry of Mary Shelley's most famous work is memorable, impactful, and relentlessly heartfelt.
• 
  Kevin L

  Stunning and compelling on every level. I cannot remember the last time that a poetry collection connected so viscerally with me.
  
  McHugh’s collection of blackout poetry and art takes selected pages from Shelley’s Frankenstein and finds new meanings and depths within, revealing them in glorious poetry and beauty.
  
  With nearly every piece I was gasping at the beautiful structure and deep messages. I think this is likely a contender for my favorite book Read in 2021.
• 
  Alex | | findingmontauk1

  Oh, wow! A COMPLEX ACCIDENT OF LIFE by Jessica McHugh is a stunning collection of BLACKOUT POETRY set to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Whaaaaat?! You read that correctly! Each of the 50+ poems within are a result of calling out the words desired and blacking the rest out on a single page. And some of the pages have fun colors, designs, and patterns instead of just plain boxes and blackout. It was the third poem in the collection where I just had that jaw-dropping realization of what I had gotten myself into and could not wait to see how McHugh's talent would shine in this unique and new (to me) expression of poetry. Highly recommended!
• 
  E.

  Well this is a delight, from start to "The End." I got the paperback and suggest you do the same, because the artwork is brilliant and full color, and something you'll want to revisit. What a beautiful bundle of poems.
• 
  Jennifer

  A gorgeous book. Do yourself a favor and get the print version.
• 
  Eva

  This is a wonderful poetry collection -- I was better acquainted with McHugh's long form prose in novels and short stories prior to reading this book, and I am glad I picked it up as she has done an amazing and very creative job with the way the book is laid out as well as the power and impact of the poems.
• 
  Austin Shirey

  I devoured this in one sitting. Truly incredible and beautiful. Something I'll continue to back to over and over again.
• 
  Jessica Drake-Thomas

  I showed up for Frankenstein's Monster, and then I stayed for the excellent poetry. Frankenstein is one of my absolute favorite texts. I really enjoyed this. McHugh took the source material and then created insightful, lovely, and original poems. I highly recommend this.
• 
  Lexi Vranick

  This is such a beautiful, special book. I've read Frankenstein dozens of times for so many classes, and while the story is one of my favorites, it can get tiring to re-read the same text over and over and over again. This book shows just how inventive writers can be with existing material, and just how influential classic works can be on modern artists. McHugh refreshes Shelley's narrative and makes it her own, plucking words off existing pages and stringing them together to make some of the most thoughtful poems I've ever read. It's been a while since I've read any form of blackout poetry, but this book truly made me want try my hand at it again. I can't recommend this book enough. It's gorgeous.
• 
  Angie

  You can find my full review at:
  https://mediadrome.wordpress.com/2020...
  
  I love horror poetry. I love-love-love it. I can’t get enough of it.
  
  And I have a huge gooshy weak spot for Frankenstein. And when those two are combined…you get the way I feel about this book. Like I want to cry all over it, and then clean it up really nicely and display it prominently so I can take it down whenever someone even kind of hints that they may have questions about it and smack them repeatedly in the face with it while I yell about how much I fucking love it.
  
  I only marked off about a dozen absolute favorite pieces that I couldn’t choose my most favorite from among, so I won’t even attempt to do that.
• 
  Kevin Lucia

  So, here's the thing. I really don't like "horror poetry." At all. I'm not a poetry snob by any means. But most of the "horror" or "dark poetry" I've read tries too hard to shock, tries too hard to sound "edgy" or "disturbing." It feels put-on, instead of sounding like a natural outpouring of internal art. It doesn't feel like a genuine expression of...anything.
  
  Which is why Jessica McHugh's work in this collection is so wonderful. There's certainly "darkness" or "horror" of a kind lurking in these words, but those things are secondary by-products of a poetess grappling with universal conflicts and concepts which apply to the human condition at large. The poems in this collection touch on identity, perception, creativity, individuality, creation, being, femininity, and more. There's a desperate kind of earnestness in these words, a frantic, "damn it all longing" of a heart willing to tread in the darkest shadows to try and understand meaning.
  
  Also, too - I love the precision in these poems. There's a balance and meticulous word choice which just pleases me down on a word-nerd level. Though overflowing with emotion and passion, these poems are carefully, painstakingly structured. I will definitely be getting more of Jessica's work.
• 
  cherry ♡

  been getting into horror poetry lately, and this was absolutely incredible!
  
  i'm not a huge fan of black-out poetry because they typically end up being quite mediocre and senseless, but this was amazing. i feel like it also helped a lot that she based this entire collection on lines/phrases/words from mary shelley's frankenstein.
  
  this collection feels dark and surreal, atmospheric even. it's almost feminist, in a way. you'll get it when you read it. i read it in less than an hour. it's also fun to see scans/drafts of how she blacked out the pages.
• 
  Jessica

  It’s been a long time since I read poetry, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a genuine sense of meditation and reflection. The blackout images guiding the eye and creating an unusually deep sensory experience not typical in prose. I’ll keep my musings on individual poems to myself as they’re personal and likely not entirely what the author intended-but I think that’s normal with poetry.
• 
  MKF

  I hate the idea of destroying books especially those damaged for profit.
  The book is decent collection of poems though not really great. Though there are one or two poems I did really like. I don't understand why the author chose to add the blackout page and then puts the poem next to it. Though it does help with the blackout poems that are difficult to read due to the author doodling or coloring on them.
• 
  Stephanie

  A beautiful book - I indulged in the print version. Amazing skill shown in teasing out extraordinary, and truly feminist, poems from a much-loved text. 'Expected Disciple' feels like a perfect tribute to Mary Wollstonecraft. Wonderful.
• 
  Hera Barton

  Frankenstein is one of my favorite books, so blackout poetry inspired by it? Yes please.
  
  I will say that this feels like a first venture into poetry. McHugh really finds her voice in her second book, but this one is really good, too.
• 
  H.V.

  McHugh's blackout poetry translates Shelley's text into something completely new that, nonetheless, feels like it's in conversation with the original novel. A great read for anyone who loves blackout poetry or who is new to the subgenre!
• 
  Jen

  Review soon!
• 
  Brayden Davis

  If I could give this more stars, I would. This book was quick, beautiful and it hit hard. I regret not discovering this sooner!
• 
  Mindy Rose

  blackout poetry made from Frankenstein. i enjoyed this, it was dark and lovely, i just wish it had had more actual poetry content. 4/5.
• 
  Stephanie Long

  McHugh's poetry drew me in from the first page of the intro. I keep this collection on my bedside and I love to open it at random passages to let the words wash over me.
• 
  Craig Brownlie

  Reading blackout poetry by Jessica McHugh here is like having a tour of a Franz Kline art show from Basho while Mary Shelley follows along offering occasional commentary. On every pair of pages, the combination of poetry and visual art powerfully reinforces how complex and accidental our live are.
• 
  Cassie Daley

  "Like a dark fairy tale, / She hated the tomb of love / And decided to live in tragedy."
  
  I absolutely LOVED retellings, adaptations, and things created that have been inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - it was one of the first books I remember buying as a kid in the book fair (along with Dracula, which was a THICK BOI, haha), and has remained a favorite to this day. There have been so many books that have ties to that one published over the last few years especially, but honestly, if you read no other ones, I think you should read this: it's so, so good!
  
  This is such a unique spin on a classic, and there were too many standouts in the collection for me to only list a few. Every other page or so, I found myself wanting to highlight bits and pieces of the poems - I love that photos & scans of them are included as well, such an added bonus & really adds a really nice touch to the book itself.
  
  Very much looking forward by the author's other blackout poetry collection!!