Book Review: Neon Soul by Alexandra Elle

Neon Soul by Alexandra Elle

4/5 stars

(Finished reading: 2/10/17)

Vivid, honest, real.

“lava hisses from my soul like ash and neon”

Neon Soul is a collection of poetry and prose about love, life and passion. I decided to try this collection after falling in love with Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey. I’ve found poetry is great to read when you’re feeling too lazy to commit to a novel or struggling to find time to read. I think it’s especially great for when you’re feeling a little over emotional or lost. This collection certainly didn’t fail to disappoint.

One of the main themes throughout Neon Soul focuses on the idea of finding that one thing that you pour all your passions into as well as the empty feeling of no longer knowing what you want to do with your life. I related to the frustration of losing your passion and I felt the writing really illustrated the intense emotions associated with both discovering and losing your heart. I found that the words were so wise and encompassed various parts of life. The accompanying illustrations were also beautiful and simplistic and added a really nice element to the collection.

A few of my favourite poems include:

“rebirth

there will be moments when you bloom fully and then wilt, only to bloom again. if we can learn anything from flowers it is that resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying.”

“fine

the worst lie i have ever told myself—and there have been many—is i am fine, as if it were a sin to admit that i wasn’t. as if the sea would rise above me and absorb into the clouds to replace the tears that i wasn’t honest enough to shed.

i’m fine left gaping holes in my neon soul and enabled men to come and go freely as they wished. i’m fine left me lonely and unwell—

until one day i decided to tell the truth.”

“healing

there are bits of you that you’ll never get back, and that is what will make you whole.”

I loved the metaphor of a neon soul that’s repeated throughout. To me this truly captures that warm and buzzing feeling you get when you are excited and committed to something you love. This was probably what drew me to this collection as I read the title and immediately felt I understood that ‘neon’ feeling. I found so many of the poems offered reassurance for broken hearts of any form. I think that this would be the perfect cure to a day you’re feeling low. Poetry, for me, just seems to offer something greatly comforting during emotional times.

The only thing that slightly made me dislike this collection was that it seems a little repetitive. I think this may have been due to the fact I read the whole thing in one go. For this reason, I think Neon Soul would make the perfect coffee table book to dip in and out of when you need it. But I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I found it so quick and easy to read and it was exactly what I needed during a busy and stressful time!

Another element of the book itself that I really liked was that the last few pages consist of poem prompts and lined pages so you can write your own poems. I thought this was such a lovely idea! I think it emphasises the message that anyone can write poetry and allows an inspired reader to take ideas from the collection and create something new.

Overall, I really liked Neon Soul! It’s not my favourite collection but if you’re looking for something quick and easy to read or interested in getting into poetry then this would be a great place to start.