There were a lot of ephemerally beautiful moments in these poems, especially how Yanyi crafted multiple meanings out of the central theme of this collection: transition. It’s the transitioning of the body, of place, of time. Transition is never easy or smooth, and Yanyi draws attention to the violence—however subtle—while in transition. As a result, grief is tinged throughout this collection, as Yanyi grapples with the disconnect he feels from his body, “loved” ones (I write “loved” as opposed to loved, knowing that it’s complicated), and more.

I did feel that a number of poems were a bit too sparse for my taste, and I found myself wanting a little more than what was given. Of course, like all collections, there will be poems that work better than others, but I felt it was rather unbalanced in this collection, with the fifth part being significantly stronger than the other four parts combined. However, this is really a matter of personal taste and preference.

Some favorites: “Taking Care,” “Leaving the House,” “Eurydice at the Mouth,” “Home for the Holidays” (in Part IV), “Ambulance! Ambulance!,” “Lengthening, Rites,” “The End of Another Year,” and “Aubade”