The Disturbance

Overview

Based on a true story, this book-length poem chronicles a brutal multiple homicide in which a husband and father gunned down his entire family. The verses feature a kaleidoscope of voices from all of the characters involved, introducing the family and chillingly chronicling the escalation of the father’s controlling attitude to violence. The aftermath is also explored, following the authorities, police, and neighbors who might have helped prevent the tragedy. This dark book—not without some graphic violence—is also a courageous narrative about evil and its presence in everyday life. It is unquestionably harrowing as it explores the terrible fate of a well-to-do, seemingly prosperous and well-connected family, but also proves cathartic as it reaches its end.

Author Biography

Ivy Alvarez is a MacDowell and Hawthornden fellow who has thrice been shortlisted for Best Poem by Australia’s fourW, an annual anthology of new poetry and prose. She is the author of the poetry collection Mortal, and her work has appeared in various anthologies and publications, including Best Australian Poems, A Face to Meet the Faces, the Guardian online, New Welsh Review, and Poetry Wales.