{"product_id":"if-the-darkness-is-lacking-meggie-royer-9781639804412","title":"If the Darkness Is Lacking","description":"In \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf the Darkness is Lacking, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e Royer provides a powerful commentary on gender-based violence. Weaving anecdotes with timeless imagery, Royer highlights the feral nature of abuse and the vivid terror of womanhood. The ramifications of violence manifest in remnants of a life forever changed: from cell phone data to the haunting echo of a final scream. For the women in these poems, intimacy provides no guarantee of safety. In this moving collection, Royer skillfully crafts a world as dark and unsafe as the one we live in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Mirabel, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Vanishing Act (\u0026amp; The Miracle After)\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntimate and volatile, Royer's words engulf you without you realizing. You sit up, rapt with attention, and find that for a while you've been holding your breath. The entire thing reads like one long whispered secret, either as an escape plan, or a battle strategy on reclaiming a piece of the world for yourself as someone in need of a community flush with swords and shields and empathetic understanding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Elijah Noble El, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Age of Recovery\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf the Darkness is Lacking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e maps the pained histories and terror in Royer's studies of social work and her lived experience. Here, we delve into the ghosts, reflections, and shifting perspectives of a collective wound. By uncovering stories of sexual trauma and domestic violence, there is a horrific realization that these victims (and their perpetrators) could be anyone-and still might be. Royer counts the ways this grief can ripple through coping skills: hibernation, a search of faith, a fear or curiosity of death, then cuts right to the source, writing, \"Most hauntings don't begin at home; they start in the ground before it was built.\" \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf the Darkness is Lacking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e bravely holds a speakerphone to each scar. As Royer pens \"what it is like to be a woman, howling without any sound,\" this work thoughtfully acts as a refuge, a cautionary warning, and most powerfully, a story spoken with thunder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Schuyler Peck, author of\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eYou Look Like Hell\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Meggie Royer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1639804412\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639804412\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kelsay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/04\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 64\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.15d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Meggie Royer","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44450321006847,"sku":"9781639804412","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_77727af2-295d-4f91-bb80-9bca77e6b61c.jpg?v=1698504136","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/if-the-darkness-is-lacking-meggie-royer-9781639804412","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}