A collection of 47 poems by Pascale Petit reflecting the painful relationship of the poet and her dying father, together with The Vineyard series inspired by the poet's mother. First published in September 2001.

Casgliad o 47 o gerddi Pascale Petit yn adlewyrchu perthynas boenus y bardd a'i thad sy'n wynebu marwolaeth, ynghyd â'r gyfres The Vineyard a ysbrydolwyd gan fam y bardd. Cyhoeddwyd yn gyntaf ym Medi 2001.

The intricacies of family life have always provided writers with a source of inspiration and there can be little doubt that within the variety of relationships that make up contemporary families the bond between father and daughter is as unique as it is complex. One only has to think of King Lear to recognize the power inherent in this relationship and to understand why it continues to move writers to put pen to paper. Like Lear, The Zoo Father, a collection of poetry by Pascale Petit, is a work that examines the darkness that can be at the heart of this relationship.

One of the most striking things about Petit’s examination of the emotional legacy left to her by her dying father is the way in which imagery of the Amazonian jungle intermingles with the descriptions of her father’s past, the nature of his dying and her response to both. While references to the hummingbird can be found throughout the collection, other creatures provide clear and resonant metaphors for Petit’s experience: ‘You must become a giant anteater / pushing your long sticky tongue down my throat’. The consistent references to her father in the titles of such poems as ‘My Father’s Lungs’ work on a variety of levels throughout the collection; reflecting the dissection of his impact on her life as well as the subjugation of the individual to the body that accompanies illness and death. The shift in power relations between the now incapacitated ‘rapist’ father and his daughter is also made starkly apparent in poems like ‘My Father’s Body’: ‘I’d hang you from a hook / and stare at my naked Papa’.

One of the most fascinating poems of the collection can be found in the concluding section. Entitled ‘The Vineyard’, it appears to focus more on Petit’s relationship to her mother and contains some profound images that vividly depict the difficulties of a childhood tainted by horror. In ‘Home was a Cyanide Bottle’, the poet turns the familiar image of the nuclear family on its head, using the image to suggest the slow, poisonous power of the home to reveal both the strange adaptability of the individual and also the overwhelming loneliness when ‘nobody came / to shut down the reactor’. This collection is a powerful and profound indictment of the impact of childhood.

Petra Newman

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

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