'Silhouette Of A Sun-kissed Soul' Book Review #5

Have you ever read a book so beautifully written that you honestly could not put it down let alone get over the fact how the author expresses themselves so exquisitely? This is exactly how I felt reading Aida Abdykashova's delightful 'Silhouette Of A Sun-kissed Soul'.

Picture by @goldentraces on Instagram

Throughout this read, I couldn't help but wonder why some people would use and mistreat Aida- but she sure knows how to come back with words. It wasn't like she was attacking anyone or getting revenge because it was about her using beautiful comparisons all the way til the very end. The most beautiful part? How she has grown and become a more stronger woman to this very day.

'Silhouette Of A Sun-kissed Soul' is divided into three sections called: the burning, rising from the ashes, and the glory. I find this unique due to the fact that she compares her healing journey to something getting burned down but will rise again. Like I said, I loved everything in this collection of poems.

The Burning

This section was the longest out of the last two and it makes sense, really. You can go through so much in your life in such a short amount of time yet it adds up to degrading you and making you feel like you aren't enough.

My favorite poem in this entire book resides in this section about the sun-kissed boy. This poem reflects upon a best friend- someone she told everything that she hid inside of her mind to. And it turns out after endless years of thinking this sun-kissed boy was someone Aida could trust for the rest of her life, actually screws her over hence why she has a hard time trusting anyone anymore.

I relate to this poem on a very personal level. I had a guy best friend whom I have known from birth. We were madly in love but always left it as "best friends". Then, one day he got a girlfriend and never spoke a loving word to me again after his mother passed away. It was a confusing time and it is hard for me to trust someone that much- he knew everything. He was the first person I told about my "father" molesting me. But in the end, it didn't matter. Especially when he told his girlfriend about all that I have been through- he had no right. So, yes, I love this poem because I relate to it more than anything. It was beautifully written just like all the other poems.

Picture by @goldentraces on Instagram

Rising From The Ashes

I noted within my journal how this section was in fact shorter than the previous one. It was really an eye opener for how you should really be loving yourself rather than hating. This section demonstrates how it is hard to learn to love yourself especially if you have been bullied your entire childhood by others including yourself.

You must make yourself understand that this is your only life and you must make it how you want- you have the ability and no one else does. Going off from this, it is hard to unlearn that it isn't right to hurt yourself with words, objects and comparisons. Love thyself- always. It will be hard but I believe you can do it if Aida and I can.

The Glory

There was one poem in particular that really stood out to me. On page 110, this poem is wonderfully created. I guess you wouldn't consider this is a poem rather a huge lesson. It was laid out like a worksheet. The instructions were that you must fill out all the blanks below using the same word for all of them. I am not going to spoil what these statements said but at the end, it gave you the hint of which word you were suppose to use.

I have never seen someone use a format like that within their poetry collection but I loved it so much. It made me realize that I am truly beautiful inside and out as well as how much I truly love myself.

Another note I wrote down were the use of Polaroids throughout the book. It kind of gave us an insight of Aida's life as well as one of her hobbies: taking pictures; capturing the moment. It was a nice touch and what I loved most of all was the fact that they weren't all her; it was her friends and family in these pictures.

This is definitely a "must read" even if you aren't into poetry whatsoever! This book will make you fall in love with Aida's words as well as her heart. I am so thankful I was able to get my hands on this!