Book Review: bloom by Enya Best
Photos by Nahomy Ortiz-Garcia
bloom by Enya Best is a book I didn't know I needed.
bloom by Enya Best is a magnificent self-published free verse poetry book that explores three chapters of the writer’s life. This collection hit me hard in the best way possible. The three chapters touch on topics like first love, heartbreak, physical and mental abuse and self love. My poetic side thoroughly enjoyed this short read, with only 91 pages of glorious, impactful, interpretive poems.
The first section of the collection, contains a beautiful 26 pages on the pain of heartbreak, broken promises, and abandonment. From my take of reading the collection this section also touches on a toxic relationship.
(favorite poem from this section lies in page 12.)
The second part of the collection focuses on the feeling of incompleteness, but also rising above it in the end. It touches on regret, one of the poems talks about being vulnerable and giving your body to someone who doesn’t deserve it. There are also poems about longing and missing a person (that we can all relate to as well).This was my second favorite section due to the self love and ‘finding yourself’ aspects of it.
Last, but not least my favorite section, this one is all about moving on, new love and the beautiful sunshine after the storm.
Many of the short-lined poems in this entire collection left me speechless. It was (to me) relatable in every sense of the word, pulling at my heartstrings with the simplest yet most impactful words. I devoured this book in one sitting.
Getting to read about self love after horrible circumstances in a relationship and seeing the author beginning to realize her self worth was incredibly beautiful.
I had many favorite poems from this collection, but my favorite lies on page 69:
i believe in love like you believe in religion
i found safety in you my salvation
-enya best
This collection is essentially the author’s journey so let’s talk about the author for a bit. Enya Best is 21-years-old. She grew up in Saudi Arabia and later moved to England, and now resides in Toronto. Enya has worked on several individual projects. Her most recent is a photo series with photographer Jenna Centra, ‘In Plain Sight’ about Canada’s 1,200+ missing and murdered Indigenous women. In her spare time we are pleased to have Enya as a contributing writer of our team.
5 QUESTIONS WITH ENYA BEST: AUTHOR OF bloom
Mimp Mag: How does it feel to know that so many people are reading poems about very personal parts of your life?
Enya: I haven’t thought about it, that “so many people are reading” my work. I still don’t know how many copies have sold, so I don’t know how many people own “bloom”. It was a slow process from being too shy to post my work, to posting here and there, to actively doing so online. The feedback I receive in terms of how “relatable” my words are take away any nerves I have about sharing those personal parts of my life with family, friends and strangers.
Mimp Mag: How long did it take you to write the collection? And how was the process?
Enya: From a formal start to finish, a year and a half.
Mimp Mag: What was one poem that was the hardest to put together?
Enya: None. If I start working on an idea and it doesn't come together the way I had originally envisioned, I don’t keep working on it. I’m very much about the way my words fit together organically. However, one piece that was the hardest for me to decide whether or not to include in bloom is on page (it’s the, “She was the girl who broke her own heart in fear of it being broken”, I don't have my book with me right now so I can’t give you a page number xx).
Mimp Mag: How does it feel seeing the feedback that people are leaving you about your book on social media (messages, photographs, etc.)?
Enya: I’m so grateful for the love and support, let alone the kind words I receive almost daily. It makes all of the self-doubt I encountered when I began to share my work, creating bloom and publishing it, disappear. I feel like I’m where I’m meant to be when people tag me in their posts or send me private messages about their reactions to “bloom”, or my newer pieces.
Mimp Mag: Where can people go to read more poetry by you?
Enya: My instagram is the main platform I post my work to (@enyabest), but I also have a blog through my website.
You can get bloom on Amazon, Indigo and Barnes and Noble!