Rebecca's Reviews > Thaw

(3.5) Published via the National Poetry Series in 2016 (see also Scriptorium from 2015), this is a brooding, atmospheric collection full of stormy weather and the threat of violent loss. A father dies in a trucking accident; a mother struggles with mental illness; an unborn child is addressed with only tentative hope (“Can I give you tomorrow / when I’ve lost hold of today?”). I loved the book’s alliteration (“Retreating rock ruins my knees … roses running ramshackle” in “Prayer of the Wolf”), but found the metaphorical range a little limited – for instance, “blade” appears as a symbol four times – and the lowering mood rather claustrophobic. “Ancestry” and “Hiraith” are highlights. [The Grammar Nazi couldn’t help but note that “lay(s)” is used instead of the correct “laid” or “lie(s)” in about eight cases.]