"One might be forgiven for thinking that the almost universally dark subject matter of these eloquent poems—rape and its aftermath, murder, aberrant psychology, divorce, suicide—might make for gloomy reading. Banish the thought! These poems perfectly encompass both the surrounding darkness and the inextinguishable candle that is lit against it. They are not about life so much as they are the stuff of life itself. Savor them and take heart."—Pinckney Benedict, author of Miracle Boy and Other Stories
