The Thorns Of A Rosebush

'The Thorns Of A Rosebush' is a poetry anthology following the struggles of learning to love when faced with depression. The poems introduce a main struggle between the idea of thorns and roses, two things with juxtaposing meanings but always found together. Written by a 17 year old it tackles the 'thumos' and 'pothos' often felt by adolescents when faced with such feelings, yet it also tackles the fears of learning to love and what negativity comes with it. There are over 50 poems in this anthology, some of which are written by people close to the author, with their voices being shown as well, adding to the showcase of people's thorns and roses. With these poems diving into themes of depression, fear, anxiety to love, platonically and romantically. The two juxtaposing themes work together to build up an sense of both melancholy and happiness, as the reader is sent through a mixture of emotions with the catalyst being their own experience of how they interpret the thorns. The poetry anthology touches on some sensitive topics of self-harm and overall depression in certain lines, nothing too horrible but still could be found upsetting for some readers. The anthology also contradicts this with a lot of more uplifting metaphors and caring image nearer the end of the book. There are also additional poems outside of the anthology included beyond the 41 in the fixed story that is 'The Thorns Of A Rosebush' this helps give an insight into curious readers as to what the creation and selection of poems looks like.