“We’re a Curious Species”: Allison Renner’s review of First Law of Holes by Meg Pokrass

First Law of Holes
Meg Pokrass
Dzanc Books (September 2024)

In First Law of Holes, Meg Pokrass showcases her flash fiction, micro fiction, and prose poems that feel like brief, almost voyeuristic peeks into the lives of strangers. Reading these stories seems like looking through apartment windows, catching small yet powerful moments in the characters’ worlds.

Some works in this collection are in Pokrass’s previous books: Damn Sure Right, Bird Envy, The Dog Looks Happy Upside Down, Cellulose Pajamas, Alligators at Night, and The Dog Seated Next to Me. Beyond her published collections, Pokrass actively posts on her Substack, where she combines outreach with insightful reflections on the craft of writing.

Existential themes appear in her work again and again, with everyday routines contrasted with deep reflections on life, illness, and personal struggles. Through evocative metaphors and keen observations, Pokrass explores the tension between the ordinary and the profound.

The collection dives into the complexity of relationships, touching on the awkwardness of first meetings and the messiness that sometimes follows. Pokrass captures these moments in all their forms—silly, surreal, sad—showing how even the shortest interactions can leave a mark.

The titular story is about the narrator’s complex relationship with her clown father, her own circus life, and her disillusionment with love. It uses quirky imagery to explore themes of identity, familial ties, and personal dissatisfaction.

In “Here We Are on Planet Earth,” two teens’ rebellious day at the beach captures the tension between innocence and the growing pressure of societal expectations. Themes like body image, friendship, and the transition to adulthood appear here and throughout the collection, handled with a mix of tenderness and wit.

“Habitats” is about loneliness and emotional disconnection, explored through a narrator who visits the zoo not to see the animals but to observe other visitors’ struggles. The story captures the quiet complications of moving on after loss and the awkwardness of social interactions during that time.

Other stories take us into dysfunctional living arrangements, where detachment and bizarre details emphasize just how fragile relationships can be. Themes of lost identity and fleeting connections are woven throughout, with dreamlike imagery reflecting the fractured nature of modern life. Pokrass uses vivid descriptions and reflective prose to dig into self-worth and the strange, sometimes discouraging, aspects of life.

Pokrass also explores intimate encounters in various settings—from bird refuges to domestic scenes—highlighting the vulnerability of human bonds. Nostalgia and longing run deep in many of the stories as characters search for meaning and fulfillment. The rich details and poetic language underscore how past experiences shape us.

First Law of Holes highlights Meg Pokrass’s ability to blend the surreal with the emotional. Each story offers a fresh perspective on life’s oddities and the nuances of inner selves, making this collection an intriguing, thought-provoking, and necessary read.

Allison Renner’s fiction and photography have appeared in South Florida Poetry Journal, Ellipsis Zine, Six Sentences, Rejection Letters, Atlas and Alice, Misery Tourism, Versification, FERAL, and vulnerary magazine. Her chapbook Won’t Be By Your Side is out from Alien Buddha Press. She can be found online at allisonrennerwrites.com and on Twitter @AllisonRWrites.