вЂњJen Sookfong Lee writes poems about hearts breaking and lives mending. Whether her subject is moth murder, Harry Styles, parenthood or the man who вЂnever yelled / as if that makes a difference,вЂ™ The Shadow List is an addictive read from start to finish.вЂќ вЂ“ Zoe Whittall, author of The Best Kind of People вЂњJen Sookfong LeeвЂ™s debut poetry collection is vivid and sophisticated, a whirlwind of tender, anxious lines andВ a balm for any broken-hearted reader. Jen Sookfong Lee reminds us that meaningful, meticulously crafted examinations of discomfort offer rewards in any genre.вЂќ вЂ“ Amber Dawn, author of My Art is Killing Me and other Poems Akin to fiction, the reader is compelled to make an emotional investment. And, looking at The Shadow List as a whole, there is a cumulative narrative-voice-driven anticipation and uncertainty that propels the collection. Jen Sookfong Lee demonstrates all the attentiveness to language and image that poetry lovers look for. But what happens when a novelist writes a debut poetry collection? The Shadow ListВ reveals a precise, and markedly painful, narrative tension that is frequently attributed to fiction. вЂњOver the past century, literature has been rewarded by poets вЂ“ from Sylvia Plath to Ocean Vuong вЂ“ writing novels. Reviews | Interviews | Articles | About the Author Advance Praise The slick of black ice, the killing light of day, the cheap, plastic diamonds вЂ“ they are all pieces of a life we gather and put in our pockets to remember with. With a novelist's way with character, Lee builds a deep connection with the narrator of the poems, yet each individual poem creates a vivid snapshot of moments many will recognize. The Shadow ListВ is a book filled with desire, where we question the politics of who gets to choose and who doesn't and where the narrator creates hidden lists of what she really wants. In these devastating lyric poems Jen Sookfong Leeunfolds the experience of her narrator, following her through frost-chilled nights and salt-scented days, as she pulls at the knot of accumulated expectations around her trying to create space to want and to be.

The shadow books