Description
This poignant debut by Gavin Bradley explores the emotional toll of different kinds of separation: from a partner, a previously held sense of self, or a home and the people left behind. The main narrative describes the deterioration of a long-term relationship, interweaving poems dealing with the loneliness of immigration and the anxiety of separation from Northern Ireland, the poet’s homeland. These personal poems enter their stories through a variety of characters and places, from dock builders to dogs, from shorelines to volcanoes, to “mouths soft and humming like beehives.” Other sections of the collection examine a post-Troubles’ experience in Northern Ireland (evoking the lived-experience of growing up with bombs and domineering Catholicism), tell grandfather stories, and show a lasting love for the people, the language, and the land. Separation Anxiety ultimately conveys a message of hope, reminding us that “we’ll be remembered for / ourselves, and not the spaces we / leave behind.”
Awards
- Winner, Bridges of Struga International Poetry Award 2023
Reviews
#8 on the Alberta Non-fiction Bestsellers list, June 12, 2022
Separation Anxiety follows the deterioration of a long-term relationship, interweaving poems dealing with the loneliness of immigration and the anxiety of separation from home. The idea was to explore the emotional toll of different kinds of separation and loss, but to do so without losing a sense of hope that things can get better. I think it’s a book that a lot of people can relate to. Whether you’re part of an immigrant community or not, separation is something we all go through at different times in our lives.
- Gavin Bradley, The Quad, March 21, 2022
#1 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, June 12, 2022
#2 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, June 5, 2022
Bradley deals with difficult emotions he’s revealing to a wider audience, a level of vulnerability and exposure that can be challenging. But it can also lead to something constructive, a release valve.
- Justin Bell, Edmonton Journal, March 24, 2022
#7 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 10, 2022
#9 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, January 15, 2023
#3 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 3, 2022
#2 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, March 19, 2023
#10 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, May 14, 2023
#8 on the Alberta Non-fiction Bestsellers list, March 19, 2023
#10 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 23, 2023