Nostos

Poems by Tracy Way de Boer

What It’s About

Nostos is Tracy Wai de Boer’s debut poetry collection, taking its name from the Ancient Greek for “homecoming.” In her work, home is a movement through memory, language, and the body. It’s a journey that’s equal parts searching and surrender. Some poems move through the sea, others through the spaces between languages, touching on identity, family, and the ways words both connect and fail us.

What Stuck With Me

The water poems drifted in and out of clarity for me, at times hard to grasp, but the language pieces pulled me in completely. There’s a quiet intimacy in the way de Boer writes about capitalization, the rhythm of -ing endings, the moments when language falters. Lines about songs sung in a mother’s tongue she doesn’t speak, or the frustration of having the word in multiple languages but losing it when you need it, felt sharp and familiar. “Double,” one of my favorites, repeats and folds into itself, building a longing for a place, or person to call home.

Would I Recommend It

For readers who already lean into lyrical, reflective, sometimes experimental poetry, Nostos offers a layered and intimate exploration of language, memory, and identity. It’s not a collection to rush; it works best when you let the words move through you, even when they don’t resolve neatly.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Preorders available on Amazon or Bookshop.org
First time on Bookshop.org? Click for discount code

Looking for your next read?

My Asian Era is where literature meets culture — thoughtful reviews, quiet voices, and stories worth slowing down for.