Unexpected Light Reviews
"Unexpected Light is a book that people suffering from depression should read because it not only explores such struggles eloquently, but also serves as a reminder that life is frequently beautiful and fulfilling even in its bleakness. Of course, I also recommend it to the non-depressed reader, especially one who admires precision of image and poetic honesty of heart." - The Pedestal Magazine
"C. E. Chaffin’s Unexpected Light is an increasing rarity among the books that Wordgathering reviews: it is truly a selected works. In recent years, the trend among books of poetry that relate to disability is to produce slim volumes of poems forming a narrative context from which all individual poems take meaning. Chaffin's volume bucks this trend. Though comfortably sized, at over 140 pages, Unexpected Light is not slim and readers can thank the author for forgoing the high gloss and allowing them to actually afford to buy and read the poems: poem per pound, it is a great deal. " - Michael Northen of wordgathering.com
"This, as a work for both man and woman, is not the sort of collection to be rushed through and then set off in a book case. It is a life affirming volume to be kept within easy reach for regular inspirational reading. It proclaims to me the following lesson: 'No matter what kind of raw deal life might serve up, you are not alone. Deal with it!' " -Rose & Thorn Senior Editor Wil Hough
"Unexpected Light is a large collection, spanning ten years, 150 pages and myriad styles and life periods. There are even sonnets for formalist tastes. There is no narrative arc in the post-modern sense unless of course the mere passage of a life is permitted claim to arc status. Aristotle's first element of tragedy is plot followed immediately by character. Here we have plot and character in abundance as the poet ruminates on various twists over a period of years: his losses, his illnesses, his God and his love. This collection is a sometimes harrowing, sometimes joyful journey distilled though a keen expressive mind. From the current navel-parade that is so much of poetry today, Chaffin stands out, bringing some living to the project. Lint need not apply.
C.E. Chaffin is smart, comfortable in his smartness and he wants you to be comfortable in it too." - Norman Ball
"This collection is a heartfelt diary by enjambment -enjambment not only of lines, but of motifs, images, organisms, and sometimes - at its best - senses and psyche, where memoir inter-bleeds with the imagined." - Colin Meldrum, editor, A cappella Zoo
"Chaffin's poetry is at it's best when he turns his eyes inward, looking to the difficulties faced. He is both stark and startling when confronting those realities."
- Justin Evans, One Man's Trash blog