The Beforelife

Franz Wright presents a mesmerizing portrait of the addict in recovery in his stunning and exuberant book of poems. In short, powerful lines, Wright describes the seductive legacy of an alcoholic father, the relief of finding other people after a time of hellish isolation, and the twilit world of "purgatory cove" -- that in-between space where the spell of addiction and mental illness is still nearly as vivid as the promise of a new life.