Book Review: ‘The Coconut Girl’ by Sunita Thind

“The Coconut Girl is a collection of poems containing material that is from the Indian, female point of view with an insight into Punjabi culture. We also follow the author through the hallucinogenic state of the brain following cancer treatment, and in her experience of life in multi cultural Britain. The protagonist in the poems is at the same time deeply vulnerable and strongly independent. Overall her strength of character shines through. The Coconut Girl features poetry of deep imagery, not least in some of the poems exploring the experience of the female body post-operatively.”

Thank you to Love Book Tours and the author for my e-copy of this book and my spot on this blog tour.

Review of The Coconut Girl by Sunita Thind

My rating: 3/5

I have always enjoyed the poetry, and it’s been far too long since I have had a chance to read a poetry collection, so I was very happy to receive an e-copy of Sunita Thind’s The Coconut Girl.

The Coconut Girl is a poetry collection consisting of twenty-six powerful poems by BAME poet. The poems are written from the female perspective and are giving an insight into Punjabi culture. Sunita Thind’s voice, and life between two cultures that not always go hand in hand – British and Punjabi – play a central role in each poem. 

The poems are deeply personal, with a woman being a protagonist of each. A female experience of Punjabi culture clashing at moments with her belonging to a different culture as well, to her Western behaviour, becomes the most powerful and interesting element of this poetry collection. 

Poems in The Coconut Girl don’t shy away from the painful experiences and truths, at moments making the readers uncomfortable, even if they belong to a different culture. With powerful imagery accompanying the strong protagonist, itching to be independent, The Coconut Girl is an interesting exploration of what it means to belong to different cultures and how to create your own path and identity in the midst of it all. 

Who is the book for: I would recommend The Coconut Girl to those enjoying poetry and especially those liking powerful imagery. You can get your copy here.

For those interested in knowing more about the author:

Sunita Thind is a Bedford born Derby based published female, Asian British BAME poet and writer. Her debut collection of multicultural poetry (Black Pear Press, 2020) focused on living between two cultures, British and Punjabi. Sunita is workshop facilitator, speaker and performance poet. She has had poetry and short stories published in various literary magazines, e-zines and journals.

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