Adamantine
Shin Yu Pai
White Pine Press
From Adamantine’s startling cover to the final end-note on Search & Recovery, there’s an ineluctable sense of a monumental awakening in progress.
Like the giant stone hand thrusting up through the Atacama wasteland, the poems in Shin Yu Pai’s arresting eighth collection are weirdly beautiful and solidly crafted.
Each account of alienation and reconnection requires time to properly plumb the depths of her poetic narrative.
Ponder bizarre delight, mundane tragedy, political anguish and personal insight.
Place your hand on your heart to fully encounter her integrated and disciplined language; breathe deeply and follow her compassionate eye that unflinchingly sees what matters. - Liesl Jobson