A collection of 49 sensuous and sensitive poems on a variety of themes including the north Wales landscape, various locations across the world and the diaries of her grandfather; some poems having appeared previously in other publications.

Casgliad o 49 o gerddi synhwyrus a sensitif ar amrywiaeth o themâu yn cynnwys tirwedd gogledd Cymru, lleoliadau ar draws y byd a dyddiaduron ei thad-cu; mae rhai cerddi wedi ymddangos eisoes mewn cyhoeddiadau eraill.

This collection of poems addresses a large variety of subject matter. Although the structure is not rigid, it seems to me the book is divided into four parts.

The first section ranges over all manner of subjects from feet to feathers (have you ever wondered whether a language changes the shape of the mouth that speaks it?), from lobster to transplants (‘A body becomes a home before a country ever does’), and from the shroud of Turin to the cannibal Issei Sagawa.

The second part is the stream of consciousness ‘Through Trees’, six pages of an inch wide column of sensual imagery. Try reading it aloud to find the natural rhythms, discovering the punctuation through your body’s need to take a breath.

The third part contains beautiful poems rich in imagery. Many concern the theme of travel and foreign lands which serves to introduce the subject matter of the end of the book. I particularly like ‘Sous les Pavés, La Plage’ which describes the Sacré Coeur as ‘a beached white whale under a paved sky’.

Lastly, the section entitled ‘Sleeping Inside’ which is largely inspired by the letters and diaries of the author’s grandfather, Frank Skoulding, who was in India, Iraq and China with the RAF in the 1920s and 1930s.

Although not intrusive, the mirrors theme permeates this collection. Zoë Skoulding writes of it directly in the titular poem ‘The Mirror Trade’ but laces many of her poems with other objects involving light, sight and reflection such as ice, crystal, glass, lenses, binoculars, or water. Almost the final poem, ‘At the Dressing Table’, gives the mirror’s point of view as a woman rehearses for real life in her reflection.

Zoë Skoulding has the gift of describing well-known objects or feelings in a new way so that the reader experiences them as though for the first time. I recommend this book to delight the senses, and to give food for thought and reasons to revisit it often.

Catriona Jackson

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.