Review: Behind the Ghost Metropolis by Annette Dabrowska

Fans of Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Charles Bukowski will find pieces of themselves in this edgy debut poetry collection.

I look right through the light

it fills me with courage and strength

to fight against my demons

I’m not alone anymore

I slowly stand up

Behind the Ghost Metropolis dives into the shadows of the mind—mental health, trauma, loneliness—but it also finds light in hope, travel, and resilience. Written during Annette’s manic and depressive episodes, these poems are raw and deeply personal, reflecting her struggle with bipolar disorder and her fight to rise above the odds.

She wrote these poems to break the stigma around mental illness and to remind anyone feeling lost or defeated that there is always hope. This book is for those who’ve been knocked down, dragged through darkness, and still seek their own hidden light.

When writing, Annette draws inspiration from some of the greatest poetic minds in American and Polish contemporary poetry – Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Beatniks, Charles Bukowski, Edward Stachura, and Rafał Wojaczek.

Just like her favorite poets, she often finds herself in different dimensions of cruel whispers, far from the dreamland. But that’s the price she pays for her creations, and she keeps writing because of this artistic force inside her heart and mind.

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If you have ever wondered what being trapped in the clutches of depression is like, this book vividly depicts that feeling. You have no choice but to feel the words on the page.

Usually, I read poetry as a palet clenser. Sometimes, it’s what gets me out of a reading slump. Some of the poetry I read touches on dark and serious subjects or uncomfortable topics. This book full on dove into the uncomfortable, serious and dark subject matter, and then swam around in it.

I dont think I was the right audience for this one. I’ve never read sylvia plath, and while I have had my own experience with depression, i am extremely lucky that it was nothing like that. I have, in fact, led a fairly charmed life.

So much feeling went into these poems, however, and it truly shows.

Pub date is January 18th, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this one early for an honest review.