Purgatory by K W Peery

Purgatory 
by K W Peery


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Typically, when I sit down with a book, I read through it quickly and relax. This book is not your typical book, this is a collection of poetry, song lyrics and insights. This being said, it was still something I enjoyed, it just took much longer to read. This is not a fluff, feel good book, this is something that will catch you unaware and make you pause, stop, reflect and really think about the book, the words and life.

Some of the entries are written purely as poems, and others are written as the lyrics to songs, complete with verses, chorus and bridges. The thing about them all is a deep emotion, a feeling of being at a point in life where you are looking back with regret and yet contentment. The need to process and understand your own life and what it has meant, if it is what you wanted to leave as a legacy or if things are missing.

For me, it felt like someone had taken the best parts of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings and blended them into one person writing out their thoughts and feelings. The lyrics, I could easily hear any one of those guys singing them on an old scratchy radio. They took me to a place where I thought about life and what I had accomplished so far in a different light than I normally do. Instead of judging by today's standards, if I looked back into my grandparents world and their standards, what would they say and think of my life and accomplishments? Would they be proud?

Whether you are into poetry or not, this collection has something that will draw you in and keep you reading. You may only read a few pages at a time, but they will have you thinking and processing what was written before you go back for more, but you will go back for more, and most likely once you have finished the book you will find yourself bookmarking certain poems or lyrics, and referring to them more and more because they struck a cord in you and made you feel something, made you think, made you change the way you did or thought about something.

This is one of those books that you find on the coffee table or night stand, that is looked at and re-read over and over and every time something new is gleaned from it. This is not a read it and put it away for good book, and that is probably the best thing about it. Without ever trying to make you think, by just writing his own emotions, the author has created a piece of lasting literary art.

View all my reviews