Carrie Etter's collection of poetry, The Tethers, responds to loss with humour and appreciation of the world in all its variety and detail. The book roams from an imaginary village to Manhattan, southern California, London, Arizona, the Czech Republic, and Etter's homeland, the Illinois prairie.

Dyma gasgliad o gerddi Carrie Etter. Ceir yma ymateb yn llawn hiwmor a gwerthfawrogiad i'r byd yn ei holl amrywiaeth. Mae'r cerddi yn sôn am wahanol rannau o'r byd - Manhattan, de Califfornia, Llundain, Arizona, Gweriniaeth Tsiec, a chartref y bardd, Illinois.

Born and brought up in Illinois, Carrie Etter moved to California and now teaches creative writing at Bath Spa University. Though quite widely published in both the US and UK, this is her first collection of poems and it speaks of many periods of her life. Despite its title, its arrangement seems rather random and a number of dedicated poems would benefit from an explanatory note or two. That said, there are many delights here, from sharp irony and satire to a fresh take on classical themes.

She is generally at her best when less cryptic: ‘The World at Dusk’ captures with accuracy and economy the altered sense of life and time of the house-bound; ‘Arizona 2002’ is a vivid sketch full of colour and perfume; the deftly chosen details of ‘Four Hours from the Coast’ create a whole landscape and mood. The bite and humour in ‘The Review’ will appeal to all who seek publication, while ‘Citizenship’ evokes small-town frustrations the world over.

‘The Daughters of Prospero’ has a fine, chilling conclusion:

"The girl sets her boats on a fatal course, and though
her head is bent, I can just see her eyes’ fierce gleam."

But perhaps the finest, though more mysterious, bringing together classical and personal themes, is ‘Siren’:

"I arched my back, the coarse bonds across my chest easily yielded, and your naked body rose on a closing reef. Before the boat struck rock, already I heard its wood planks cracking, splitting, splintering and realised from your endless refrain that the crash of bodies was not a song you wrote for me, but the only words you knew. And still I sailed for you."

This collection introduces us to an interesting, sometimes sharp, sometimes lyrical voice; a poet who responds on many levels to the world of the senses and the world of ideas.

Caroline Clark

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.

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