Intimate, minimalist poems about about loss and the claustrophobic way a death in the nuclear family lingers. Each moment is magnified by a subtle brush stroke and gloomy yet vivid aesthetic. Like Simic or Baudelaire, Sarett's work hums and sings in melancholy, lucid tones of the wounded yet resilient psyche of an isolated, grieving artist and human. A must-read, captivating collection.

My Family Was Like a Russian Novel lives up to both its title and readers' highest expectations in a braided collection of delicate narrative poems...At moments haunting, at moments hopeful, and with an occasional sting in the tail, Carla Sarett's distinctive voice pays tribute to the wonders of childhood and the loss ever-lurking beyond. Her writing, at once elegy and clarion call, seeks to enchant.

A tenacious and original poetry collection. With restrained imagery and haunting language, Carla Sarett crafts a family portrait steeped in curiosity, grief and love. These poems loom quiet and bold: battles ensue even when "the war [is) far away," even when "no one is dying." Faced with loss, Sarett wants the reader to "hold sea stars in the darkness." Ultimately, no matter how much distance between family members, she asks "how long can anyone stay away?" My Family Was Like A Russian Novel is about what hides beneath the surface of every family; it asks us not to look away.