Stein, Leigh

The power in this collection lies in the way Stein serves her feelings on ice. Although she never mentions T. S. Eliot, her writing style is influenced by his notion that poetry is not a turning loose of emotion but an escape from it.

Esther's initial lethargy is so complete readers may wonder why they should bother to keep turning the pages. If they do, they will be rewarded with a graceful twist of redemption. The mix of self-absorption, depression, and grief does not always sit well together, but Stein makes the final chapters work.