Antiemetic for Homesickness is collection of poems that draws on Romalyn Ante's Filipino roots with her experience as a nurse. Understanding that Romalyn was born and raised in the Philippines before her mother brought her to the UK who was also a nurse provides an important context and background to this poetry collection.

Through her poetry Ante explores the complexities of identity, assimilation, colonialism, heritage and family. She draws on Filipino folklore and medical terms to speak about leaving behind home, to talk about mothers leaving their children behind. She looks at Brexit and the Filipino work force in the NHS.

The collection is clever and heartwarming and whilst I had to look up a few of the medical terms, Ante provides many notes to her poems for context and a glossary for some of the words and terminologies used to help provide further understanding to the poetry.

I borrowed an ecopy from the library, but I wish I'd had a physical copy of this book to sit with. There's something about reading poetry on paper that provides a different experience.

Overall though an enjoyable and poignant debut collection.