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My Father's Eyes, My Mother's Rage
"My Father's Eyes, My Mother's Rage" is the raw and emotionally charged debut poetry collection by Rose Brik. Rose delves into the intricate layers of the human experience with profound insight. Through her verses, she fearlessly navigates themes of the mother and father wound, childhood trauma, domestic violence, grief, mental health struggles, love, motherhood and ultimately, the process of healing. Her words possess the power to unearth buried emotions and memories, evoking a deep sense of empathy and reflection in her readers."I have my mother's rage,and my father's ability to walk away.this, I've learned, is a very lonely combination"- from my father's eyes, my mother's rage
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2023
About the author
Rose Brik
1 book65 followersRose Brik is a Canadian writer and poet living in Alberta, Canada. She has been writing since a young age and professionally as a freelance writer, since 2012. Rose's writing resonates with readers on a profoundly relatable level, becoming a mirror of shared emotions and universal truths, creating an intimate connection between her and her readers. When she isn't writing, she can be found with the people she loves; cherishing each moment she has with them.
connect on all social media platforms @rosebrikpoet
connect on all social media platforms @rosebrikpoet
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
November 30, 2023
I need a hug
December 14, 2023
This book gave words to all of my scars.
Now, please excuse me while I grab a weighted blanket and wrap myself into an emotional burrito, and eat raw cookie dough.
Now, please excuse me while I grab a weighted blanket and wrap myself into an emotional burrito, and eat raw cookie dough.
May 11, 2024
This is written specifically for people who had childhood trauma. I don’t think other people will be able to understand or feel the emotions of this book, so it is only for people who can in my opinion.
There were some parts where it felt like I had written it and it was exactly about my life. There were also other parts that I didn’t relate to, but that I respected, because they were part of her feelings and journey.
I saw this received some hate from people saying this is more of a journal and less poetry. To be honest, I purchased it specifically to feel like someone else understood some of my feelings, so the format did not bother me.
There were some parts where it felt like I had written it and it was exactly about my life. There were also other parts that I didn’t relate to, but that I respected, because they were part of her feelings and journey.
I saw this received some hate from people saying this is more of a journal and less poetry. To be honest, I purchased it specifically to feel like someone else understood some of my feelings, so the format did not bother me.
November 22, 2023
This book is absolutely incredible. An amazing debut collection. Can’t recommend it enough! An absolute must for any poetry reader.
April 19, 2024
as a woman, I have so much empathy for my mother, but as a daughter, I have so much anger
El poemario para las hijas mayores que sufren de mummy y daddy issues.
Conecté bastante con algunos poemas, sin embargo, está estructurado de una manera extraña para mí. Y también se siente que algunos poemas son notas genéricas que hacemos las sad girls en nuestros teléfonos.
Está dividido en 6 partes:
- roots of pain, va sobre su infancia y el trauma que le han dejado sus padres.
- dangerous love, explora sus primeros romances tóxicos.
- invisible wounds, habla sobre cómo es el proceso de sanar, cómo se le exigen más cosas a las víctimas que a los perpetradores.
- no more tomorrow, (creo) va sobre su luto al perder a su madre (por más horrible que haya sido la sra).
- the renewal, (creo) nos habla sobre su relación romántica sana.
- nurturing, es sobre su etapa de madre y sus hijos.
Me gustó que lo dividiera en partes y así tú puedes apreciar su crecimiento y que si hay luz después de la tormenta. Aunque eso también me hace sentir que el poemario no tiene un tono fijo. No sé, me gustó por momentos y por otros no tanto.
I am half of my father and half of my mother. The best and worst of them exist in me together.
El poemario para las hijas mayores que sufren de mummy y daddy issues.
Conecté bastante con algunos poemas, sin embargo, está estructurado de una manera extraña para mí. Y también se siente que algunos poemas son notas genéricas que hacemos las sad girls en nuestros teléfonos.
Está dividido en 6 partes:
- roots of pain, va sobre su infancia y el trauma que le han dejado sus padres.
- dangerous love, explora sus primeros romances tóxicos.
- invisible wounds, habla sobre cómo es el proceso de sanar, cómo se le exigen más cosas a las víctimas que a los perpetradores.
- no more tomorrow, (creo) va sobre su luto al perder a su madre (por más horrible que haya sido la sra).
- the renewal, (creo) nos habla sobre su relación romántica sana.
- nurturing, es sobre su etapa de madre y sus hijos.
Me gustó que lo dividiera en partes y así tú puedes apreciar su crecimiento y que si hay luz después de la tormenta. Aunque eso también me hace sentir que el poemario no tiene un tono fijo. No sé, me gustó por momentos y por otros no tanto.
I am half of my father and half of my mother. The best and worst of them exist in me together.
March 16, 2024
me before- this book is probably going to wreck me
me after- wow that book absolutely destroyed me
and built me back up and made me feel seen and not alone. what a read.
me after- wow that book absolutely destroyed me
and built me back up and made me feel seen and not alone. what a read.
January 27, 2024
Don’t think there will ever be a book closer to my heart than this.
March 16, 2024
ALL THE THINGS I'VE NEVER SAID
" you cry and you scream
and you beg for the bare minimum.
but he won't comfort you as you need,
he won't come to you at all, he'll just leave.
why do you need to learn
the same lesson over again?
didn't your father already teach you that? "
I knew I had to read this book when I came across this poem on Instagram and burst into tears. It perfectly described what I think and feel every single day of my life - that I am not worthy of everyone's love, given that even those who are "obliged" to love me (my parents) are incapable of doing that properly.
"if I was not wanted by the ones
who should love me the most,
why am I here?"
This collection literally broke my heart as, poem by poem, told my story, revealing my most secret and unconfessed thoughts: the fear of becoming just like my mother; the way living sometimes feels like dying; the impossibility of expressing my feelings without crying; the obsessive worries about the future. And, when I thought I couldn't suffer more, then arrived the sections about grief and motherhood.
In short, I spent the most painful 40 minutes of my entire life - crying hard while listening to a playlist of instrumental sad songs. I could even identify myself with the lines about toxic relationships and heartbreak, which portrayed the deep sadness I feel every time one little fault of his makes me believe I am losing him...
And then it came the section about love and heling, when I realized why I really love him:
" he made me laugh.
he helped me escape
the pain of my thoughts,
if only for a moment.
he made me laugh,
it's how he loved me. "
And that's what hurts me the most, the awareness I am damaged and undeserving - yet he's still here, unbelievably, asking for nothing in return. I still can't believe how lucky I am, and hope that would last forever.
It only remains for me to thank Rose Brik from the bottom of my heart. She wrote all the things I've never had the courage to say out loud to my parents, to my grandmother, to him. Truly my favorite collection of poems ever.
" you cry and you scream
and you beg for the bare minimum.
but he won't comfort you as you need,
he won't come to you at all, he'll just leave.
why do you need to learn
the same lesson over again?
didn't your father already teach you that? "
I knew I had to read this book when I came across this poem on Instagram and burst into tears. It perfectly described what I think and feel every single day of my life - that I am not worthy of everyone's love, given that even those who are "obliged" to love me (my parents) are incapable of doing that properly.
"if I was not wanted by the ones
who should love me the most,
why am I here?"
This collection literally broke my heart as, poem by poem, told my story, revealing my most secret and unconfessed thoughts: the fear of becoming just like my mother; the way living sometimes feels like dying; the impossibility of expressing my feelings without crying; the obsessive worries about the future. And, when I thought I couldn't suffer more, then arrived the sections about grief and motherhood.
In short, I spent the most painful 40 minutes of my entire life - crying hard while listening to a playlist of instrumental sad songs. I could even identify myself with the lines about toxic relationships and heartbreak, which portrayed the deep sadness I feel every time one little fault of his makes me believe I am losing him...
And then it came the section about love and heling, when I realized why I really love him:
" he made me laugh.
he helped me escape
the pain of my thoughts,
if only for a moment.
he made me laugh,
it's how he loved me. "
And that's what hurts me the most, the awareness I am damaged and undeserving - yet he's still here, unbelievably, asking for nothing in return. I still can't believe how lucky I am, and hope that would last forever.
It only remains for me to thank Rose Brik from the bottom of my heart. She wrote all the things I've never had the courage to say out loud to my parents, to my grandmother, to him. Truly my favorite collection of poems ever.
Read
December 8, 2023Rose Brik literally sold her soul when she published this book because that is what this is- a collection of poems exposing her soul. As someone who writes poetry I have nothing but respect for this author. Even her style reminds me of my own. Thank you for sharing these intimate writings. It’s amazing how poetry can connect people, and it so comforting to feel understood.
November 14, 2023
Lots of Misspellings
The content was okay, but the constant spelling errors took me out of it a bit. Otherwise, it was decent. I felt it was too repetitive & tried too hard to rhyme at times.
The content was okay, but the constant spelling errors took me out of it a bit. Otherwise, it was decent. I felt it was too repetitive & tried too hard to rhyme at times.
January 4, 2024
This books opened a lot of trauma and feelings I thought I let go. But reading certain parts made me realize how much I need a hug. Beautifully written didn’t hide any deep detailers to help you feel and understand her pain. Loved everything about this book and more.
February 2, 2024
I would share my highlights but most are truly too personal 😭 These poems have felt so healing to me & I WILL be showing my therapist lolllll
February 8, 2024
This book. How do I even put into words. So much hurt that I couldn’t express. So much strength to keep going and learn to forgive along the way.
Thank you for this. Thank you for sharing your experiences that we may read and understand not only you, but ourselves.
Thank you for this. Thank you for sharing your experiences that we may read and understand not only you, but ourselves.
December 20, 2023
An extra star for suffering. This was a journal not a poetry book.
January 8, 2024
Simply beautiful and heartbreaking. Really well written poetry
March 1, 2024
I read this in one sitting & couldn't devour it fast enough. I will probably read it again tonight. This author gives a voice and words to emotions that I've never been able to process.
April 28, 2024
It was just what I needed.
April 2, 2024
The sections about her mother were so relatable to my own personal experiences that someone close to me might think I wrote this book
May 7, 2024
I liked the first part. I recommend it if you have parental issues because that’s what it centers on. It started feeling a little too much like a journal entry rather than poetry at some point, hence the 3 stars.
May 7, 2024
Finished it in an hour, couldn’t put it down. Too many emotions and now I need a hug ☹️
April 17, 2024
There were lines that are absolutely bangers, but unfortunately for me a lot of poems went over my head, there is an abundance of predictable and overused rhymes, too simplistic to capture a reader’s attention and also I didn’t appreciate all the therapy speak
March 5, 2024
Es bastante difícil puntuar o reseñar este poemario. Tiene algunas cosas que no me gustan, como el hecho de que sea el tipo de poesía moderna que la mayoría de las veces
solo es un texto pequeño
escrito así para que
se vea mas bonito
pero como que pecan de sencillez y se siente como que les falta algo. Y también había algunos fallos gramáticos que me sacaban bastante de sitio (aunque afortunadamente solo son 3 o 4). Y sin embargo, la narrativa me toca en ciertos aspectos tan de cerca que ha resonado muchísimo conmigo y me ha hecho sentir muchas cosas. Entiendo perfectamente el dolor y el conflicto de la autora y eso hace que aprecie mucho el texto y el trabajo de la autora de poner en palabras, aunque sean simples, algo que sentimos algunos y que te hace sentir validado y acompañado en el dolor. Entiendo que no vaya a ser un poemario para todo el mundo, pero definitivamente lo era para mí y me guardaré ciertos poemas muy cerquita del corazón ♡
solo es un texto pequeño
escrito así para que
se vea mas bonito
pero como que pecan de sencillez y se siente como que les falta algo. Y también había algunos fallos gramáticos que me sacaban bastante de sitio (aunque afortunadamente solo son 3 o 4). Y sin embargo, la narrativa me toca en ciertos aspectos tan de cerca que ha resonado muchísimo conmigo y me ha hecho sentir muchas cosas. Entiendo perfectamente el dolor y el conflicto de la autora y eso hace que aprecie mucho el texto y el trabajo de la autora de poner en palabras, aunque sean simples, algo que sentimos algunos y que te hace sentir validado y acompañado en el dolor. Entiendo que no vaya a ser un poemario para todo el mundo, pero definitivamente lo era para mí y me guardaré ciertos poemas muy cerquita del corazón ♡
December 8, 2023
Poetry books are not my specialty nor something I like generally. But every once and awhile I have a giant urge to read some and become a poetry girly. While this one has a few I will be keeping, I didn't connect well or felt that a lot were the same thing stated more than once. I wish I had loved this one since I had 2 in particular that I loved and resonated with me to my core. Sadly, this one still was not for me. Hopefully there is a poet that I find and love some day.
January 31, 2024
This is more like a diary; a diary, organized in order by topics. when I was reading the poems talking about the death of her mother on one page and the next one talking about the death of her dog through me off and confused me for a second.
Beside that is a beautiful compendium of poems that come from the soul. Organizing them by topic and subtopics would make the reading better.
Beside that is a beautiful compendium of poems that come from the soul. Organizing them by topic and subtopics would make the reading better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2024
Wow.
This book really touched my soul. I don’t think I’ve written so much in a book before. It’s an odd relief to know someone else feels and thinks the same things you do. To share such painful trauma and feel less crazy for not being completely alone. Rose did a great job at pouring out her mind and I commend her for sharing that with the world.
Feeling broken. Having trauma. It’s hard enough as it is but to show that to the world? Baby I give you all the love.
So many quotes that I could share and so many I hold dear. I’ll share a few but I would be lying if I said I didn’t highlight the first half of this book.
“When I finally had enough and tried to be free, she looked at me with desperation and cried, you are abandoning me! So, I stayed and I suffered.”
“I wanted her gentle guidance and kindness; I needed to feel sake and at peace. I wanted the kind of mother-daughter relationship that didn’t break me.”
“I know you were hurt and betrayed, but why did you hurt me the same?…I needed you to guide me softly…am I supposed to be grateful to have survived one trauma after the other?…how many times do I need to forgive you before I am guilty of breaking my own heart?”
“I wouldn’t exist without them, that is their power over me. It is why I cannot understand my existence. If I was not wanted by the ones who should love me most, why am I here?”
“She would say I was so wise and then ask for my advice, she trusted me. I couldn’t abandon her…”
This book really touched my soul. I don’t think I’ve written so much in a book before. It’s an odd relief to know someone else feels and thinks the same things you do. To share such painful trauma and feel less crazy for not being completely alone. Rose did a great job at pouring out her mind and I commend her for sharing that with the world.
Feeling broken. Having trauma. It’s hard enough as it is but to show that to the world? Baby I give you all the love.
So many quotes that I could share and so many I hold dear. I’ll share a few but I would be lying if I said I didn’t highlight the first half of this book.
“When I finally had enough and tried to be free, she looked at me with desperation and cried, you are abandoning me! So, I stayed and I suffered.”
“I wanted her gentle guidance and kindness; I needed to feel sake and at peace. I wanted the kind of mother-daughter relationship that didn’t break me.”
“I know you were hurt and betrayed, but why did you hurt me the same?…I needed you to guide me softly…am I supposed to be grateful to have survived one trauma after the other?…how many times do I need to forgive you before I am guilty of breaking my own heart?”
“I wouldn’t exist without them, that is their power over me. It is why I cannot understand my existence. If I was not wanted by the ones who should love me most, why am I here?”
“She would say I was so wise and then ask for my advice, she trusted me. I couldn’t abandon her…”
January 13, 2024
This book did something to me.
My father’s eyes, my mother’s rage is the first book I’ve read in 2024 but I already know it is going to be my favorite one. It kind of got to my heart and hugged it. It made me feel less alone and more understood. It made me feel so many things that I didn’t even know I could feel that much in the spawn of an hour.
It also made me realize some many things about my life, about my parents, avoid my missing childhood, made me reconsider many things. I even made some advices for myself while reading it, advices I hope I can put into practice this New Year.
If you have problems with your parents, have the fear of people leaving you and you feel alone, this book will make you feel understood, will make you realize you have a small community out there that feels exactly the same way you do.
And you do feel better after reading it.
You feel heard
My father’s eyes, my mother’s rage is the first book I’ve read in 2024 but I already know it is going to be my favorite one. It kind of got to my heart and hugged it. It made me feel less alone and more understood. It made me feel so many things that I didn’t even know I could feel that much in the spawn of an hour.
It also made me realize some many things about my life, about my parents, avoid my missing childhood, made me reconsider many things. I even made some advices for myself while reading it, advices I hope I can put into practice this New Year.
If you have problems with your parents, have the fear of people leaving you and you feel alone, this book will make you feel understood, will make you realize you have a small community out there that feels exactly the same way you do.
And you do feel better after reading it.
You feel heard
February 22, 2024
“I imagine a world where I don’t have to heal
From the pain caused by my mother.
a world where I was protected from trauma,
not fed it fresh from the womb.”
Exploring themes of trauma, abuse, love, loss, grief, fear, anxiety, and so much more this is an absolute must read for anyone with a mother or father wound (or those of us lucky enough to have both!). It’s comforting to know someone shares almost the same story as you, but devastating to know how many other people probably know your exact shade of pain.
From the pain caused by my mother.
a world where I was protected from trauma,
not fed it fresh from the womb.”
Exploring themes of trauma, abuse, love, loss, grief, fear, anxiety, and so much more this is an absolute must read for anyone with a mother or father wound (or those of us lucky enough to have both!). It’s comforting to know someone shares almost the same story as you, but devastating to know how many other people probably know your exact shade of pain.
March 19, 2024
I think I highlighted over half this book.
From parental trauma, to a traumatic relationship, she talks about the path to healing and loving yourself before anyone else- and being able to be in a loving. healing relationship after experiencing trauma, and wanting better for your children.
From parental trauma, to a traumatic relationship, she talks about the path to healing and loving yourself before anyone else- and being able to be in a loving. healing relationship after experiencing trauma, and wanting better for your children.
January 2, 2024
This was so beautiful, yet so soul-destroying all at the same time! I can’t stop crying!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews