BookView Review

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Pub date April 19, 2026

ISBN 978-1-7751580-5-9

Print length 140 pages

Price $26.99 (USD) Hardcover, $19.99 Paperback, $3.99 Kindle edition

BookView: Part memoir, part meditation on memory, Between Breath and Memory explores the emotional landscapes of family life, migration, and grief. With rich imagery and narrative grace, Brar transforms everyday moments into lasting reflections on what we inherit—and what we carry forward. The poems unfold with a quiet assurance, privileging restraint over ornament and allowing meaning to emerge through carefully measured lines and evocative imagery.

Brar’s strength lies in her ability to render memory as something embodied, textured, and persistent. In one striking passage—“and when the world finally unlatched / its borders… / I went back”—the poet captures both temporal rupture and emotional return, grounding large historical moments in intimate, personal experience. Elsewhere, images of land and lineage recur with subtle force: “green-hearted, tireless— / already freckled with flowers,” suggesting continuity even in absence.

The collection resists overt resolution, instead dwelling in the spaces between departure and belonging. Its meditative pace may not appeal to readers seeking narrative momentum, but those attuned to lyrical introspection will find much to admire.

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