A collection of poems by Paul Groves, suffused with sharp wit and black-humour. It is characterised by sinister, unsettling and shocking subject matter, all handled with technical adroitness.

Casgliad o gerddi gan Paul Groves sy'n gyforiog o ffraethineb miniog a hiwmor du. Ceir ynddo ddelweddau a chynnwys sinistr, anghysurus a syfrdanol, a'r cyfan wedi ei adrodd yn grefftus.

This extensive collection of poems from Paul Groves is lively and deeply engaging. His remarkably playful and fluid language works with his confident skill for narrative and his mixture of irony and wit. Each poem in this collection is striking and well crafted. It is easy to comprehend how these poems have been competition winners.

The brilliant ‘Fly in a Hospital’ is a remarkable, colourful view of a seemingly mundane scenario. The honeymoon poem ‘Strewth’ is hilarious and touching with its witty account of a disinterested honeymoon spouse, fully encouraged to ‘have space’ in the Australian bush. The charming ‘Bungalow Boy’ is a clever summary of a stairless childhood – both amusing and magical but with that element of dark humour which holds the reader entranced. There is often an element of nostalgia, as where he captures the everyday existence of an ageing relative in ‘Settling Mother’. There is a high degree of emotional potency, which he is so good at containing without being plainly sentimental, as in ‘Beetle’ about an old Volkswagen car and ‘Rex’ about the old dog. The marvellous ‘Greenland Literati’ is a very amusing description of a literary dinner party where often failed promises of emerging novels and other works are likened to horticultural procedures.

There is thought-provoking and highly engaging material within this collection, well worth exploring and enjoying.

Clare Maynard

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.