In Inheritance of Drowning

Smith Silva navigates the treacherous waters of displacement and survival in the wake of natural disaster in this luminous and innovative debut. Centered on Hurricane María’s devastation of Puerto Rico in 2017, these poems excavate the enduring impacts of colonialism, racism, and environmental catastrophe on marginalized communities. In “The Awakening of Hurricane María,” Smith Silva captures the storm’s disorientation and trauma: “Thunder shutters/ through the treetops, while lightening siphons/ off the breath like fragrant heat.” Elsewhere, she shifts from intimate familial portraits to broader meditations on systemic injustice. Poems such as “Everyday Drowning” and “While Black” confront racial violence and oppression in the United States, while others probe identity and belonging as a Puerto Rican. With a finely tuned ear for rhythm and syntax, Smith Silva unearths unexpected beauty amid devastation, insisting on a resilience that envisions “uncombed/ gardens last where only hurricanes stay.” This noteworthy collection bears unflinching witness to calamity while still kindling hope for renewal. (Nov.)