📖 Overview
Over the Moon is a poetry collection written by Imtiaz Dharker, published in 2014. The book contains works spanning themes of displacement, identity, and cultural connections.
The poems move between locations in India, Pakistan, Wales, London and Glasgow. Many pieces examine concepts of home, belonging, and the experience of straddling multiple cultures.
Religious imagery and questions of faith appear throughout the collection, alongside observations of daily domestic life and relationships. Dharker incorporates elements of her work as an artist and filmmaker through visual and cinematic techniques in her verse.
The collection explores how personal identity forms at the intersection of language, places, beliefs and traditions. Through precise imagery and shifting perspectives, the poems consider what it means to find one's place in the world.
👀 Reviews
Reviews suggest that Over the Moon resonates with readers seeking poems about love, loss, and relationships as life transitions unfold.
Readers appreciate:
- Direct, accessible language that avoids being sentimental
- Authentic portrayal of joy and grief side by side
- Fresh takes on familiar emotional territory
- Poems balancing intimacy with restraint
Common criticisms:
- Some poems feel too restrained or detached
- A few readers note uneven quality across the collection
- Final section loses momentum according to multiple reviews
From available ratings:
Goodreads: 4.3/5 (32 ratings)
Amazon UK: 4.5/5 (8 ratings)
Sample reader comments:
"Her lines about grief hit hard without melodrama" - Goodreads reviewer
"The poems about her daughter's wedding capture both celebration and letting go" - Poetry Review reader
"A few poems left me cold, but when she connects, it's powerful" - Amazon UK review
The collection has limited online reviews but maintains positive ratings across platforms.
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The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan A verse novel follows a young immigrant's journey through loss, displacement, and self-discovery in a new country.
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai The story unfolds through poems chronicling a Vietnamese family's migration to America and their struggle to build a new life.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie This contemporary reimagining of Antigone examines family bonds, cultural identity, and divided loyalties in a British-Pakistani family.
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar The narrative explores class divisions, motherhood, and women's relationships across social boundaries in modern-day Mumbai.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌙 Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan, grew up in Glasgow, and now divides her time between London and Mumbai, bringing a unique multicultural perspective to her poetry.
✍️ The collection "Over the Moon" was written following the death of her husband, Simon Powell, founder of the Poetry Live! program that brings poets into schools across the UK.
🎨 Dharker is not only a poet but also an accomplished artist who creates drawings to accompany her poems, including those in "Over the Moon."
🏆 In 2014, Dharker was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, one of Britain's most prestigious poetry honors.
🌟 The book explores themes of loss, renewal, and celebration, with the moon serving as a recurring symbol of both constancy and change throughout the collection.