review 1: I first heard of Emily Pettit when I was looking through the Goodread Finalists in the Poetry category a couple of months ago. I tracked down a couple of her poems online to see if I'd like them (the reviews on Goodreads were very favourable), and decided to order myself a copy from the States. I'm glad I did; she's got a very interesting style. The first poem confirmed that I was going to enjoy this book. 'I want to know more about / normal accidents, owls misplaced in the arctic, breathing in code, / dead fish on the sidewalk, extinction in the meadow, / red wings collapsing.' The narrators of these poems are always seeking information whilst, at the same time, trying to instruct the reader in abstract ways: poems entitled 'How to lose lost objects' first line: 'This is ... morea memory of a house, so no one lives here.' Intricate, wonderful riddles to shed light on a different way of looking at things: 'How to be irresponsible: You've forgotten where you put your map / of the basement. Remember the basement? / It's under the house. If you still had a shadow / it'd be dancing on top of the basement.' It's a fantastic collection, with beautiful lines such as: 'There are a couple of places / in which human activity is generally missing. / It's hard to fit into a hummingbird's bill. Clouds refuse to carry us. / There are quite parts of our brains' - 'If this is breaking your heart / close your eyes.' review 2: I first heard of Emily Pettit when I was looking through the Goodread Finalists in the Poetry category a couple of months ago. I tracked down a couple of her poems online to see if I'd like them (the reviews on Goodreads were very favourable), and decided to order myself a copy from the States. I'm glad I did; she's got a very interesting style. The first poem confirmed that I was going to enjoy this book. 'I want to know more about / normal accidents, owls misplaced in the arctic, breathing in code, / dead fish on the sidewalk, extinction in the meadow, / red wings collapsing.' The narrators of these poems are always seeking information whilst, at the same time, trying to instruct the reader in abstract ways: poems entitled 'How to lose lost objects' first line: 'This is a memory of a house, so no one lives here.' Intricate, wonderful riddles to shed light on a different way of looking at things: 'How to be irresponsible: You've forgotten where you put your map / of the basement. Remember the basement? / It's under the house. If you still had a shadow / it'd be dancing on top of the basement.' It's a fantastic collection, with beautiful lines such as: 'There are a couple of places / in which human activity is generally missing. / It's hard to fit into a hummingbird's bill. Clouds refuse to carry us. / There are quite parts of our brains' - 'If this is breaking your heart / close your eyes.' less
