HEAL!

HEAL! is a poetry book written from the perspective of a survivor of assault. It is an offering to anyone who has survived violence; an expression of solidarity, honouring the life and energy necessary to heal. It is harrowing at times, it laughs at its own pain and the people who caused it. Withdrawal, disassociation, and rage offer relief, but the narrator finds she is seeking more - uncompromising tenderness and deeper understanding of herself than she thought would ever be possible. HEAL! reminds you that to heal is not to fix, but to feel comfortable in the darkness. Offering perspectives on sexual trauma, colonialism, patriarchy: it is an important book from a Tongan wahine who refuses to be silent.