Bestial Mouths by Brenda S. Tolian
Raw Dog Screaming Press (November 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Dr. Brenda S. Tolian, DA, MFA, lives and writes New Orleans and is the author of Blood Mountain, published by Raw Dog Screaming Press. As an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Angela Carter Society, Brenda’s work blends haunting narratives with deep literary insights. Her newest collection of poetry is Bestial Mouths.
Bestial Mouths is a collection of gothic poetry tinged with pagan folk horror. The poems themselves are minimalist and fragmented, tools which Tolian is attempting to use to create a mythic or mysterious tone throughout the pieces. Furthermore, the underlying rhythms and hints of veiled formalism create incantatory pieces that enchant the reader. For example, the poem “You” begins:
you were never a martyr
you were an open coat
cold influx of air
silk on my throat
A hand in my hair
Everyone has left
These are typical of Tolian’s lines, and readers who enjoy this sort of minimalist gothic poetry will certainly enjoy this book.
Bestial Mouths creates a personal grimoire that readers will find spell-binding and elusive. Tolian presents her poems without ornament or poetic trickery, creating sparse and alienating pieces that beg the reader to engage with them. For readers who enjoy intentionally gothic poetry, especially poems that are minimal and sparse, this book cannot come more highly recommended.
