Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Pulitzer Prize-winner Dunn (Lines of Defense) explores the subjunctive mood in his 18th collection, probing the what-ifs, counterfactuals, and beliefs from which we build our lives. "A claim without a 'but' in it/ is, at best, only half true," Dunn writes in the sly and seemingly effortless "Propositions," whose self-negating assertions recognize the difficulty of telling the truth. Indeed, truth telling often seems less important to Dunn than useful fictions. "Which one of us doesn't need some kind/ of magic to help navigate and go on," he asks in "In the Land of Superstition," a place "where black cats tend to live longer/ than their allotted nines." At other moments, however, Dunn shows interest in being less deceived: "Some truths are better than others," he asserts in "Call Them All In," "which means, of course, some are worse." At worst, Dunn's short lyrics can seem slight or uninspired, falling short of those truths he seeks. But at their best, these poems deliver wisdom that is disquieting and surprising, reminding readers of language's frailties as well as our own. "What makes us think the dead/ want evidence of our caring?" Dunn asks in a poem about a funeral. "Those who choose to speak/ will discover it takes other words/ to say the words they mean." (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Dunn (Different Hours) has given poetry lovers yet another reason to read his work. In this latest, Dunn writes, "There was so much to worry about/ and only a few heroes to right/ all the wrongs." This is not a heavy-handed collection of pronouncements, yet much of Dunn's verse seems prophetic in today's divisive society. Don't be fooled; Dunn takes aim at everything, especially our search for meaning in a culture of posttruth and too much news, some of it skewed. He does it with humor, wit, and a dose of gravitas, grasping detail and nuance, from the value of everyday objects to sharks pretending to be dolphins to the need for unions and the silence of the moon. In language that is both elegant and smart, the poet examines subjects large and small, from death and the underworld to a humorous riff on being invisible. "I'm not trying to inform you, my friend, about what/ you already know. I need to talk to/ someone/ who still believes the future has a chance." VERDICT A timely and necessary addition to general poetry collections.-Karla Huston, Appleton, WI © Copyright 2017. 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.
