Ruin and Beauty: New and Selected Poems
Description
$19.95
ISBN 0-88784-649-1
DDC C811'.54
Author
Publisher
Year
Contributor
Ronald Charles Epstein is a Toronto-based freelance writer and published poet.
Review
Patricia Young is establishing her place in Canadian literary society.
Determining her cultural philosophy can be a challenging exercise.
She dreams that she is “making love to a dog” in “A Strange and
Terrible Thing.” Those who are familiar only with that particular poem
might place her with such sexual outlaws as Sky Gilbert and Jean-Paul
Daoust. That would be a mistake, since this piece is atypical.
“Geese and Girls” is a more representative poem that examines the
tensions between a cautious mother and an independent daughter. The
author’s identification with “every mother whose child has been
gutted, / thrown in some ditch” and frustration with a society that
demands such vigilance is a very mainstream attitude. She may explore
life’s outer limits in dreams, but treats the outside world as a real
threat.
Young is a subtle social critic, but authors should be discreet when
discussing their children’s ethical standards. She understands her son
who rescues an earwig from drowning, despite the fact that she extracted
one from a suffering sister’s ear. “Earwig” is a literary
balancing act in which the writer does not judge the situation, but
encourages the reader to do so.
This collection of narrative poetry works due to the author’s
storytelling skills. Young is a versatile artisan who effectively alters
tense, tone, and perspective. Ruin and Beauty is an effective
compilation of her life’s work that should interest the intelligent
and sensitive reader.