Acutely aware of how the political informs the personal, Graham Mort's unflinching studies of the dark characters, the despots, the murder scenes, and the refugees that inhabit his poetry are built like a painting—a steady accumulation of precise, beautifully observed details. The pictures that emerge are often surprising, even shocking, in their effects. Poems that seek out human desire and tenderness function as a counterpoint to those exploring political or social breakdowns. In this new anthology of his poetry, Graham Mort is consistently adept at imbuing a landscape with the mood and memories of its inhabitants, as in the sequence "Cuba Libre at Café España." Touching, thoughtful, and articulate, this collection confirms Graham Mort's reputation as a gifted poet.