Backbone

Backbone is a poignant journey that stretches from the shores of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal to the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. The speaker grapples with the challenges of trauma and cultural identity with a raw honesty that exposes the ways in which they can fracture one's sense of self. Through tactile depictions of blood, honey locusts, language lessons, and countless birds, the collection paints a vivid picture of introspection and the injured body. Still, a thread of hope runs through: Meet Helene, a constant presence whose deeply intimate friendship provides the speaker with a sense of true belonging. Ultimately, Backbone offers a profound meditation on the transformative power of friendship and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.