18 - Idomen, or The Vale of Yumuri by Maria Gowen Brooks

Idomen (1843) is an evocative memoir by the American poetess Maria Gowen Brooks, whose literary prowess earned her comparisons to the likes of Byron and Swinburne in the 19th century. This memoir delves into a devastating love affair that she experienced while journeying in Canada with her young son after the death of her elderly husband. The heartbreak that ensues leads Brooks to the brink of despair, culminating in suicide attempts that she narrates with a Byronic flair for the masochistic. In the memoir, she adopts the pseudonym Idomen, a Greek phrase meaning we shall see. After the publication of Idomen, Brooks moved to Cuba, having inherited a plantation there following her brothers death from malaria. Tragically, she would meet the same fate not long after her relocation. This summary is brought to you by Grant Hurlock.