My Goodreads and Amazon review of Laughing in Her Sleep by Alycia and Jon Vreeland (Rated 5) – Laughing in Heaven. There are two ways to read Jon Vreeland’s poems in Laughing in Her Sleep: One at a time or via total immersion. Either way, pause over the penetrating illustrations by Alycia Vreeland. Unlike her colorful paintings, her line drawings are as dark and dense as Jon’s poems. Some are as whimsical as his words. Jon is obsessed with Death and Drugs (D & D). Some poems surrender to the depths; others are aspirational. Jon reaches for something better or (literally) higher. His judgements are harsh (especially toward himself) but his sympathies are generous. He can also be very funny! Jon sees, hears, and smells beauty as well as ugliness. Wherever he aims his senses, Jon doesn’t shy away from life’s crazy mixture. As a prose fiction writer (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I revere Jon’s storytelling talents. Each poem has a setting, salient details, and characters whose interactions are “small” but never insignificant. Jon imbues them with meaning, be they comforting or confrontational. His self-written obituary is as refreshingly arrogant as Jon himself, according him the glory he wasn’t granted in life, except by those who knew and loved him. And for whom, if not them, is the obit written? I won’t comment on the life review that ends the book (since I compiled it) except to say I was honored to be asked and entrusted with the precious memories his family and friends shared. Jon’s death is both a personal and a literary loss. We are fortunate his words live on. I trust he and Hemingway are laughing together in writers’ heaven.
Wrenching words, penetrating pictures
Why writers read: “Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. More apt to understand your friends’ insane behavior, or better yet, your own.” – John Waters
