Official Review: Fall of the Raven by Thymournia

[Ruba Abu Ali]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fall of the Raven" by Thymournia.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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“I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company.”--Henry Miller

Fall of the Raven by Thymournia (Ali Sheikhaleslami) is a photo-text book where the author artistically pairs prose poems with black and white photos of the raven. The author seems to have gone through a deep loss that left him in despair. Nothing seems to instill hope in him, not the sun, nor the sky or the pleasures of life. In several instances, you can see clearly that he’s only waiting for death.

Albeit rhyming, the narrative does not conform to the conventional poetic style. It is rather congruent with prose poems, each of which is paired with a photo of the raven that the author/artist shot himself. Picking the raven as a witness to the despair and aloofness was an appropriate choice.

I liked the rawness and transparency in the expression of grief, hopelessness, and vulnerability. I also appreciated the charming writing style and the beautiful and thought-provoking language. “I’ve made a life behind these walls of eternity from the pieces that I’ve found, from the broken pieces of the past, all to create; a roof to be safe under, a home to turn back to, a memo to write over, a coffin to rest inside forever and to leave there all, and all over again to go out and to see the violence, to go out and to be homeless, to leave, to witness the cold, and to break again.”

There is so little to dislike about the book; the photos were exquisite, and they were a perfect match for the prose. However, for someone who’s optimistic by nature, the dose of giving in to despondency may be a bit too much.

I could only spot four trivial and easily rectifiable errors that do not merit any deduction from the overall score. I think Fall of the Raven would appeal to those looking for a soul-searching read, and to those who do not mind probing their sadness and despair in a transparent manner. However, readers sensitive to gloomy reads, especially at such uncertain times for our humankind, would better pass on this one. That said, it pleases me to rate Fall of the Raven by Thymournia 4 out of 4 stars.

On a final note, reading this book has been therapeutic, as it gave me a chance to get in touch with deep places in my heart that harbored pain and sadness. The stellar photos and the captivating words helped transport me to soar with the raven, in a surreal experience that only exceptional books can pull off.

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Fall of the Raven
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[nyash kamau]

this book gives the reader understanding how the author has gone through loss that brought despair

[Cynthia_Oluchi]

Probing my sadness in transparent manner? I sincerely mind. So, I'll have to pass this one. This is a good review!

[Josephe-Anne]

The author certainly chose an interesting pseudonym.

This book - which displays the author's talent in writing and photography - explores inner thoughts of melancholy. Despite its gloomy theme, I am intrigued.

Thank you for including selected quotes in your excellent review!

[Ruba Abu Ali]

The author certainly chose an interesting pseudonym.

This book - which displays the author's talent in writing and photography - explores inner thoughts of melancholy. Despite its gloomy theme, I am intrigued.

Thank you for including selected quotes in your excellent review!

Thank you for stopping by and for the thoughtful comment.

[GatugiM]

Sometimes it is good to explore the dark side that we rarely want to visit. It is therapeutic to deal with grief. I like how he expressed his pain and including the photos is a great idea. I will be looking for this book. Thanks for an excellent review

[MsH2k]

What is it about ravens? After reading your review, I quickly reread Poe’s poem “The Raven.” I get what you mean about this type of book leading to therapeutic reflection. Thanks for a great review!

[Ruba Abu Ali]

Sometimes it is good to explore the dark side that we rarely want to visit. It is therapeutic to deal with grief. I like how he expressed his pain and including the photos is a great idea. I will be looking for this book. Thanks for an excellent review

Thank you. Appreciated.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

What is it about ravens? After reading your review, I quickly reread Poe’s poem “The Raven.” I get what you mean about this type of book leading to therapeutic reflection. Thanks for a great review!

Thank you for the insightful input.

[Diana Lowery]

The concept of pairing pieces of prose with photos of ravens sounds amazing. I am sorry it was so depressing. I hope the author found peace eventually.

[praise+anyi]

I'm passing on this one. The prose feels a little bit dark and awkward for me. But I'm intrigued in the author's use of unique illustrations through the photos he used. Ali is truly talented.

[Nedbrian]

A nice narrative poem this book must be, however poetic genre is not my thing so I would pass.

[hammad Siddiqui]

STORY - The artist is exquisitely pairing fine art photography with poetry, taking the reader through a complex journey of photographs and words entwined. As the story of the raven develops, each part is accompanied by its visual pair, a fine art photograph with the ever present raven as the main subject, in a world of sceneries that brings to life the heavy, deep darkness of the written lines, and the words are about life and nothing more. The book is highly representative for the artist, as his deeply personal work comes from a dark past and the blank future, often using the symbol of the “Raven” as the one witnessing all its surroundings while being isolated and doomed, silenced and ignored because of all the reality he has seen and all the bitter truth he has to offer, all resulting in visual and written artworks that are heavy and true, with a deep feeling of sorrow and nostalgia

REVIEW - Fall of the Raven by Thymournia conveys the feelings of a broken heart without using any filter. The fine photography of raven in various setups blends well with the words of despair. The almost poetic narration is so powerful that it affects the readers with the same pain that the writing is about. As the narrator loses hope, he begins his long and gloomy wait for the sweet release called death. The words are injected with soul-crushing loneliness, torturous despair, and hopeless devastation. The symbolic usage of the raven to represent a broken soul is very effective .

[NetMassimo]

An interesting book that stimulates emotions through art. From what I read, it can induce intense reactions. Thank you for your great review!

[alant1892]

As a counselor, I find the review of this work with particular interest as a potential help for my clients. As a person having an appreciation for nature photography and with too much loss over the past few years, reading the description of text and images along with selected quite encourage me to read the book myself. Probably not today, but hopefully soon--the reviewer is wise in the caution that some may be too sensitive to read it.