ME (MOTH) by Amber McBride

5 stars

I’m sobbing, what a beautiful story and what beautiful words I can't--

Me (Moth) is a novel told in verse, and I picked it up in early 2024 at my local Black-owned bookstore because it spoke to me on the shelf and I just... needed it. I find it's always worth it to follow that kind of bookstore-browsing urge.

(A small plug for that store—Socialight Society in Lansing, Michigan—because I love them and if you're looking for a shop to support with online sales or whatnot... Why not them!)

Like the other few novels in verse that I've read, I devoured this story in one sitting. It was poignant. It was heartrending. It was truly hopeful and truly devastating in equal measure. It also shook me to my core in a way that very, very few novels do these days.

I don't even want to summarize the book's blurb because I think the less you know, the better the reading experience.

I encourage readers to go into this slim novel with a few expectations:

1) This novel is about grief, depression, death, and healing. Tread cautiously and know yourself.

2) This story is Emotional. I sobbed for a good 10 minutes after finishing it.

3) There is magic in these words.

I hope more readers find solace and cathartic release in this tale. I didn't expect it to get this heavy—blame me, not the novel, as I always underestimate novels in verse—but it's the kind of story that needs to get heavy in order to showcase its true form.

I won't forget Me (Moth) for some time.