The Curiosities by Christopher Reid. Faber and Faber Ltd. 96 pp. £14.99 hardback.

I read The Curiosities straight through, enjoying the vividness of the stories and situations it presents, its urbanity, wit and formal inventiveness, then read it again much more slowly, lingering over the tensions and ambivalences of each separate poem. What I found surprising was that it responded equally well to both approaches.

Reading it straight through is easy; each poem slips down smoothly, without the need for major adjustments of approach or fresh efforts of engagement between them. This comes across as a book genuinely written as a whole … Continue Reading