You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir

Poet Maggie Smith examines the breakdown of her marriage and her reaffirmed dedication to herself in her book You Could Make This Place Beautiful via poetic vignettes that sparkle as brightly and clearly as pearls. The story starts with a specific grief experienced by one woman, but it soon expands to address modern femininity, gender norms, and the power struggles that still exist in many progressive households. Smith combines reflections on secrets, rage, forgiveness, and storytelling itself with glimpses into a life, all while maintaining the spirit of self-examination and empathy for which she is renowned. These sections have a cumulative effect; page by page, they expand into a more comprehensive analysis of patriarchy, the workplace, and families.

This Place Could Be Made by You Beautiful, like the work of Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, and Gina Frangello, is an unflinching look at what it means to live and write our own lives. It's a tale about a woman's love and respect for herself as well as a mother's intense and unwavering love for her kids. This narrative is, above all, a case for possibility. Smith shows how, in the wake of loss, we may find our strength and create something new with a poet's attention to language and a creative approach to the genre. Something lovely.