If you expect lyrical poetry, look elsewhere. Addonizio's language is rough, almost vulgar in places. Some of the poems sound autobiographical; some seem to draw from real experiences to draw a fictional picture; most of them are liberally watered with alcohol. There are powerful images and emotions and yet... they left me almost cold.

In her autobiography, Addonizio compares herself to Bukowski and this collection proves that - Bukowski's style had always been alien to me and Addonizio's work reminded me of some of his - more feminine, more contemporary, more relatable but still a bit away from the style of poetry I like.

I am still happy that I read it - some of the images she created were worth working through the language but I am not sure that I will be looking for any more of her collections. ( )