NetGalley and the publisher, ECW Press, provided me with a review copy.

Reading the Bible Backwards is an experimental poetry collection that examines, dissects, and recreates Biblical and cultural narratives. It takes a serious look at how these narratives have impacted our society and asks questions about how they should impact our society.

Social conventions from religion to love to time are all put under the microscope, and Priest uses techniques like word replacement, especially relating to homophones and near-homophones. Wordplay is common in poetry, but Priest takes it to another level with some of the poems centered around wordplay as a concept.

Like most poetry collections, Reading the Bible Backwards has its ups and downs. It starts incredibly strong with poems centered directly on deconstructing Western ideas of religion. Then it slides back a little in the middle as more mundane aspects of society are examined, although not without a few gems. Then it comes back strong near the end with examinations of time, infinity, and love.

Throughout the collection, Priest maintains the experimental nature of the poetry, playing with different forms, formats, lengths, and styles. Sometimes, the turn of phrase is the entirety of the poem; other times, the poems are seemingly straightforward.

This collection is clearly worth a read. I've both read it and listened to the audiobook read by Priest himself, and both formats do justice to the poems on the page, although some of the homophone poems are more easily digested via text.