“This vulnerable, heartbreaking, witty, kind, sometimes angry, and always honest book masterfully and generously intertwines private and public concerns. As his beloved ‘drifts from room to room,’ recovering from cancer surgery, the speaker goes deeper into his own mind, to find poems that do the necessary work of clarifying our complexities. This book is a treasure for all of us as we struggle and love.” — Matthew Zapruder, author of Why Poetry and Father’s Day
“In your hand is a manifest of wrecked words haunting a city’s fratricidal concerns. What is true of impermanence and grief in these dawns are lucid doors that aim to breach the need of a world wrinkled by violence and fear. But, also, here is awe.” — Canisia Lubrin, winner of the Windham Campbell and Griffin Poetry Prizes and author of The Dyzgraphxst
“Through the framework of a beloved’s illness and a city’s violence, these poems meet head-on forces both private and public that threaten vitality and well-being. They are offerings at the doorway of pain, insights of ferocious tenderness given with committed attention to the extraordinary and the everyday. Deeply felt and rendered with care, Adam Sol’s poem-blessings are honest, risky, and necessary.” — Raymond Souster Award shortlist announcement
“This is a masterful work searching personal and public pain and moments of blessing, joy, and wonder. It showcases Adam Sol’s deep understanding of Jewish traditions and culture while its lyric virtuosity connects us in an appreciation of our shared humanity. With this volume, he again proves himself to be an important voice in Canada’s literary scene and one of its most significant poets.” — Canadian Jewish Literary Awards winner announcement