Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Galvin's seventh collection of poems returns to the barren, apparently hopeless landscapes of his previous books, though, as before, hope pops up in the most unlikely places, at the most unexpected times. While not as sharp as the almost embarrassingly moving X, this book begins in the aftermath of the relationship whose demise X chronicled, opening in a vulnerable state where "Confusion/ Overwhelms" and "The whole world is watching." Then, through willed belief-as in the poem prayer, which says "This poem is not what you think./ It's what thinks you"-a measure of control is achieved. Toward the end, Galvin pays tribute to newfound love-"When I rest my head over her heart/ I can hear the rowing,/ Paddle-splash and oarlock-knock." But of course it's not that simple. Throughout the book are woven poems about a hazily sketched, cosmically powerful character named "The Mastermind," who, with cohorts including "The Go-To Guy" and "The Expert," gets in the way of smooth sailing: "Did I mention the mastermind was absent-minded?" But in Galvin's world, which now mirrors and comments on post-9/11 America, the bad is as good as the good, because, "Everything/ That threatens us/ Threatens to save us." (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Galvin's poems seem straightforward enough-but they're not ("No one hears the conductor of the music, and only a pathological/ optimism allows us even to hear the music as such"). They're like stories-a young woman throws scarlet paint on a wall to protest 9/11, an old man wants his son to get rid of the puppies he's drowned. But they often veer off into fable or the fantastic; there's a Dantesque road scene, for instance, and a Mastermind who reappears throughout. Bleak and unsentimental but blessedly free of self-indulgence, these poems give the feeling of being absolutely essential and of including only what is really there to include. A Wyoming rancher who's on the permanent faculty at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Galvin (X: Poems) writes here like a force of nature. Verdict Excellent reading for contemporary poetry enthusiasts not looking for the overblown.-Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
