Nostos (Summary, Reviews & Purchase Options)

What if the journey home was not a return—but a reckoning? In Nostos, Tracy Wai de Boer reimagines the hero’s journey as a lyrical excavation of self—from sea to soil, from memory to myth. Drawing on the ancient Greek root of “nostalgia,” meaning a painful return home, this stunning debut invites you to witness a voice that moves boldly through grief, mystery, and transformation. With each poem, Nostos becomes less about reaching a destination and more about navigating the ache of becoming. For readers of poetry who crave elemental honesty and emotional depth, de Boer offers a striking reminder: the self is a story still being written, and home is not where we began—but where we’re brave enough to go.