Summary
Within these pages, you will encounter a boy on a quest. The peripatetic, searching for a home; the stoic chased relentlessly by God, and the rebel confronted by destiny.
Writer, poet, storyteller, Byng’s words move from quiet domestic moments to global, socially conscious truths. His stories and poems explore love, memory, morality, and the human experience with lyrical precision and emotional punch. Contributor to top anthologies and creator of the Exploring Poetry series, his debut collection, The Drifter, The Prodigal, The Last Son, is one to watch.
My Thoughts On The Drifter The Prodigal The Last Son By Nigel Jerome Byng
This has been a collection I have been particularly excited to read. The Drifter The Prodigal The Last Son by Nigel Jerome Byng is his debut poetry collection. Nigel Byng is an exceptional writer and blogger. We met here on WordPress and have been reading one another’s work for quite a while. Nigel was particularly supportive of my writing which I was so grateful for. But I would have read the collection either way because he has a knack for writing and poetry.
I found the book to be very well written, easy to read and finish, intelligent (both emotionally and generally) and quite interesting. It never felt like a debut, it felt like words Nigel had held inside for a long time and formulated perfectly. I was quite impressed, also irritated because his poetry is way better than mine lol. But seriously, a pretty perfect debut collection in my opinion. Even seasoned writers are not always able to create a collection this good.
Poems That Stood Out To Me
The collection is four parts and tackles different themes including grief, love, loss, faith, pain, happiness and more. Out of all the poems, The Right To Remain, was one of my favourites. I think it is an interesting look at freedom and how that can be complicated in a society where our lives often intercept. I.e, should one person’s belief dictate how others exist and live their lives.
Another poem that stood out to me was Half A Dozen. In this poem, Nigel reminisces about his mother and the hard work she put it in for her family. Oftentimes, a woman’s labour (invisible labour or the labour of love) goes unnoticed simply because we are so accustomed to it being there. It was nice seeing that appreciation and love he had for his mother. It comes through in other poems in this book too.
One of the other poems I really loved was Now I Lay Me Down. It had a dark, dreamlike feel to it. Very intense but in the best way.
Another absolute favourite was Eventually. In this poem we are reminded that as a collective, humans have a long way to go. Yes, we have all this technology but our hearts are so corrupted by hate, selfishness and division. But the poem is hopeful, it gently suggests that eventually we’ll get to a better place.
The last poem I’ll talk about is Galactic Rhapsody. I picked this one simply because I enjoyed it. It’s romantic, sexy, sweet. Poems like this one give the reader a break from the darker ones and I think that really helped balance out the collection.
Lines That Stood Out To Me
One of my favourite lines in the book was “… To roam the earth a prisoner of freedom…” That juxtaposition of “prisoner” and “freedom” worked so perfectly. I’m just a huge fan of that sort of contrast in poetry.
“A dollar is not even worth twenty cents, yet mankind chases it as though we lack any sense…” is another line I loved from my other favourite poem in the book, Sleepwalking. The whole poem stood out to me because every line is this intense and this real. The poem perfectly captures what it’s like being part of the 99%, wasting our life away, trying to survive on the bare minimum. And constantly being silenced when we ask for better.
Overall
This has been probably the best poetry collection I’ve read and I’ve read some incredible ones recently. I think what stood out most was that the poet wasn’t afraid to be real, to tackle more complicated topics. He didn’t shy away or hold the punches and yet he approached every theme with a grace and elegance. As a writer, I can assure you that is not easy to do.
I can’t recommend this collection enough. If you haven’t already, please consider giving it a read.
If you are interested in reading The Drifter The Prodigal The Last Son by Nigel Jerome Byng, you can find it on Amazon. Check out Nigel’s blog here.
For more book reviews please click here.
My first novel, Perfect, is now available on Amazon. If you would like to read it, please click here.
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