Literary reviews by Tim Love.
Warning: Rather than reviews, these are often notes in preparation for reviews that were never finished, or pleas for help with understanding pieces. See Litref Reviews - a rationale for details.

Sunday 20 February 2005

"In Doctor No's Garden" by Henry Shukman (Cape, 2002)

Much the most glittering array of acknowledgements that I've recently seen (Arvon, Harvard Review, Hudson Review, London Magazine, LRB, Peterloo, TLS, Forward Prize shortlist, etc). Childhood Airfix planes, shoe shops and chemistry lessons are lovingly depicted. A wide range of subject matter doesn't disguise its anecdotal nature. "After the Radiology" isn't good-of-its-type but at least it tackles a different topic. He doesn't depend heavily on imagery but can come up with similes like "The skis scuffle in their grooves like cutlery in a drawer".

Form? None to speak of other than stanzas within a poem nearly always having the same number of lines. The lines are all nearly the same length - about 50% of a conventionally margined prose line.

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