Book: Adrift: Poetic Musings of an Untethered Soul

Author: Priyanka Naik

Genre: Poetry

Format: eBook

Publisher: Self-published on Amazon Kindle

Pages: 62

My Rating: 4/5 *

About the Book:

Adrift is a collection of poems where the poet bared her soul about the lessons she learned in life while growing up. This book talks about the vital lesson one can learn through the experiences gathered by the instances of love, loss, and belonging.

The book is a kaleidoscope of verses with introspection and contemplation. Adrift, a wonderfully crafted lyrical book offers you calming vibes while reading. It fills your heart with nostalgia by drenching you with memories of your growing years because somewhere in those words, you see a glimpse of your younger self.

Author Bio:

Priyanka Naik hails from Goa. She was a practicing physician before surrendering herself to writing. Some of her works include ‘Twists of Fate’, ‘The Awakening’, ‘Potpourri’ and some more. She is a multiple-time winner of the TataLitLive contest and has performed her poems at the Tata Literary Festival. When she is not into writing, she loves to draw and doodle. Listen to her podcast ‘Morning Chai and Ikigai’ where she speaks about life, purpose, and everything in between. Reach out to her on X/Instagram at @drpriyankanaik or mail her at drpriyankanaik@gmail.com.

Book Cover:

Though I loved the theme color of the book cover which offers a soothing vibe to the readers, and the central photo of the book aligns with the theme of the book, somehow, I felt if the book cover had been a bit more attractive, it would appeal to readers more.

I don’t want this book to be underrated because the poems enrich you with nostalgic poems written with maturity, sincerity, and brilliance.

What’s Waiting Inside:

The poems explore a varied range of themes that are centered around the theme of learning from someone in her growing years and here is the best part of this book its poems resonate with your voice because somehow, we all have faced similar experiences while growing up.

As you traverse the poems, you will find a lot written between words and thus, the poet has done an amazing job because she left some words untold that the readers easily pen down on their own.

The poems generally narrate the memories of the poet as she shared her heart’s solitary musings through her soothing poems.

Writing Style:

The writing style of the book is not very simple yet not too tough. Some of the poems are easy to read and you can understand what the poet wanted to convey. However, some of them are exceptional and need time to get the true essence. They are not like that you can read and flip the pages and go to the next poem. The words need focus and the poems are mature, so you need to give them a slow read to understand their meanings.

However, overall, the book doesn’t stress you yet leaves you impressed with the deep thoughts of the poetries.

A Glimpse of the Book:

From the collection, my favorite poem is ‘Nirvana.’ Here, the poet has painted an ethereal canvas with tranquil hues from her palette of serenity. I found calm reading this poem and I gave a round of re-read to this specific poem. Every bit of it stole my heart because the poet has written this poem as a lyrical painting where the heart seeks an escapade from everything that bounds, confines, and restricts.

Sharing a few lines from the poem here:

“Where the mind is at peace

And energies can be summoned

Where everything in us is reduced

To one big realization; life is nothing

But maya; the illusion lies shattered”

There is another poem that stole my heart. The poem titled ‘Reprimand’ is a strong and brave addition to this collection. In this poem, the poet wrote a poem in the style of having a conversation with the self. She courageously wrote about her fears, stress, and anxiety, and then, fearlessly embracing her flaws, she stands tall and overcomes all negativity. Every word of this poem kept echoing in my mind for a while. I want to appreciate to the poet for writing such honest self-conversation in this book.

Apart from these two poems, I also loved some other poems titled ‘Disquiet’, ‘Autumn Epiphanies’, ‘Wordless’, ‘A Wounded Sky’, and ‘The Journey’.  

A Quote to Remember:

“I’m still in the garden of ruby and gold

Where secrets of heartbreak remain untold

And it’s here that I realize

The silent truth behind goodbye”

– Priyanka Naik from ‘Adrift’

What Makes the Difference:

I don’t like reading books where the author speaks about lessons collected from random sources on the internet or just giving gyan to the readers collected from their circle. Instead, I like reading books that offer genuine experiences and lessons learned from mistakes and practical instances in life.

While reading ‘Adrift’, I never felt bored because every single poem resonated with my learnings from my youth years. Thus, the book is not a mere motivational poetry collection but a personal narrative where the poet takes you on a journey of growth by sharing the lessons learned in the tenders years of adolescence to youth. And here is the best thing about ‘Adrift’.

My Recommendation:

If you want to read a book where the poems offer you nostalgic musings to cherish your memories of growing years and recall your own learnings of those days, then this book is for you. If you want to read some contemplative poems that talk about love, loss, and belongings and make you realize how far you have come from those days of mistakes and explorations, then this book is certainly for you.

Pick this poetry collection on a summer afternoon or rainy evening and spend some quality moments with yourself by pondering upon the lessons shared and loving yourself a bit more.

Buy the book here.

(I received the review copy for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.)