Lithium

The 'lithium' of the title - a metallic element, and also one of the drugs used in the treatment of manic depression - reflects the rich mix of poems in this volume. There are poems about loss. love, music, family, decay (and trains) - part autobiographical, part (in her own words) "a poetic 'faction' based on my life and experiences". Arkady sees the whole collection almost as a 'symphonic poem', the two broad yet detailed outer movements - full of extremes in intensities - contrasting with the still focus of the 'Anna' poems at its centre. Exhilarating, funny, hard-hitting, tender, this is powerful - and memorable - stuff. In Arkady, we have a new voice that demands to be heard.