Invisible Mender

Lucid, complex, sensual and richly textured, the poems in The Invisible Mender are notable for the breadth of their subject matter and the precision of their detail. We travel on journeys through landscapes dense with historical and political meanings, from the post-industrial decline of frozen North America to the stymied fecundity of a London garden paralysed in a heatwave: each emotional and physical climate explored and illuminated by the writer's astonishing images and searching intelligence. This is the work of unusual power and frankness, unflinching in its steady examination of grief and love, as in the heartbreaking title poem about the poet's loss of her first mother. But here, and in the magnificent long poem 'The Hearing Cure' this explicit engagement with what is difficult also reveals the redemptive, healing force of language. Sarah Maguire's outstanding first collection of poems, Spilt Milk, was published to considerable critical acclaim and led to her being chosen as one of the New Generation Poets. The Invisible Mender, her eagerly awaited second volume, will confirm her reputation as one of the most exciting young poets in Britain.