Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted with Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Book Nook Bits has hosted since April 2022, with Dini at Dini Panda Reads as co-host from February 2025.
A fantastic topic from LTB, as always! If you’re taking part or have any thoughts, do let me know in the comments. For now, let’s dive in!
Let’s Talk Bookish 3rd April:
Novels in Verse
Prompts: Have you read any novels in verse? Do you think novels in verse can be more emotionally powerful compared to regular prose, or do you think novels in verse are more difficult to connect with? What kind of stories do you think work best in verse (i.e. coming-of-age, grief, romance, historical fiction, etc.)? What are your favourite novels in verse?
I have read a handful of novels in verse – not many to have firm recommendations or favourites, but enough to have some (small) opinions. I don’t think they’re more emotionally powerful as such, but I do think in the hands of a talented writer they can be extremely effective! Like most things when it comes to books, in the hands of the right author, they can be brilliant. A good book is a good book, and I don’t think novels in verse are any different.
I don’t think they’re more difficult to connect with, either. They might be a little more difficult to get into when you pick them up, but I think once you get into them they can be really interesting and intriguing, especially with the way writers use particular words and imagery.
As for what works best, I think mostly I’ve read novels in verse in YA, and I think here they can be really strong. With teen characters, you can have that extra ‘melodrama’ that might not work with adult characters, and I think teen characters are often experimenting and exploring, and any form of poetry lends itself to that, so quite often, the ‘in verse’ element can really work with these younger characters. They can add another layer, and add even further to the characterisation. Not to say there always needs to be a character or plot reason for novels in verse, but I think it’s just YA where it seems to be a little more common and effective.
Because I’ve only read a few – and, again, mostly YA, mostly Contemporary YA with maybe an element of coming-of-age and romance – I’m not quite sure which genre it would be most effective in. I imagine it lends itself to contemporary quite well. Though it doesn’t seem common in horror, I do think a good novel in verse could work well within the genre, especially as the genre relies on imagery anyway to provoke a reaction.
I definitely need to keep better track of novels in verse that I read – like I said, I’ve only read a small amount, so there’s no particular favourites, but one memorable one that jumps to mind is The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo, which I strongly recommend. She also wrote Clap When You Land, another novel in verse that I thought was wonderfully written.
With that mind, as I would like to read more novels in verse, if you have any recommendations please do let me know, and tell me if you read it via print or audio. Feel free to point me towards your reviews, too!
Unwrapping Words 