Jack and Jill in Troy

Poetry. California Interest. Bob Perelman in JACK AND JILL IN TROY writes in an apparently easy, conversational diction that can shift into and out of a lyric mode and slip sideways into narration, bringing us the age-old stories in such bright, human detail that they seem to unfold in our own back yards. Odd conjunctions of ancient and modern, aspects of the contemporary (even within one line) startle us into a new view of our now less familiar world. Bitter passion, or anger, makes way for a broader compassion, a thoughtful wry humor. But it is the pervasive intelligence and rhythmic clarity of the speaking voice, at once deeply informed and by choice informal, that makes JACK AND JILL IN TROY such a good and enlightening companion.–Lydia Davis