Brilliant collection

Some exceptional poems in this. Just stunning

2.5

I wish I understood poetry better, as it seems undoubted that my rating would have been higher if only I did. ‘Surge’ came highly recommended by a friend of mine who does understand such things (being that he himself is an incredible poet, and all), but I was left waiting for the punch to the gut that I want from poetry. It just didn’t come in this case. The topic, the inspiration, the concept were important and heart-achingly relevant. I just didn’t quite get that raw and deep immediacy through the page that I hoped for.

There were only three poems in this collection that I connected with, but those three really hit me in the feels. I'm sure this collection would be even more impactful to people who remember the New Cross Massacre, and I'm glad I read it.

I picked up Jay Bernard's Surge on a recommendation not realising it was poetry, but I'm so glad I did because this collection about the New Cross and Grenfell fires, black British identity, and anti-black violence is a hugely powerful read, with a couple of poems that felt like a gut punch.

(i don’t read poetry okay but this broke me as a person)

i hate that as a british person the new cross massacre was literally never mentioned to us, let alone taught us in school. black british history is our history. we should be taught it.