No words. No explanation. No fault of yours. No feeling but one: broken. No one wants to be there-- in that place. Unfortunately, it happens, this is life where there are no gender boundaries. "A soul that cannot express the emotions of the heart it bears witness of is a vacuum-tight lid on a processed jar...." is an example of many such lines where the reader finds analogies that create an image to compare what an ache of the soul is like. Shifting Places is not simply words to appease the soul, it was written to release it. Shifting Places takes you, the reader, through the dark places where one is at a loss for words where you cannot catch your breath for the loss. A candid book where the author's own comments follow each piece, letting the reader know why the piece was written, will capture the reader's thoughts to reminisce on one's own time of being 'between a rock and a hard place.' Originally written as lyrics for guitar, the author used as self-therapy to deal with the brokenness she could not voice to anyone. Being an artist, the images helped the author attach the emotions to something tangible. Not a coffee-table book, it can be used to help the reader move from one place to another as the two sections are aptly named. The first section of the book: 'From One Place...', the reader learns of separation, betrayal, loss of relationships, anguish. The second part: '...To the Other' moves the reader from the ache to the self-decision of hope, of reconnecting with others-- finding one is ready to shift places and receive the much-needed emotional support often neglected. Shifting Places, putting voice to the inexpressible, moving from one place to another.