Welcome to the meticulously observed world of Frieda Hughes. It is
a world of tangible materiality constantly on the brink of change,
a world populated with foxes and fire, fathers and lovers, mothers
and birdmen--a world that is ultimately combustible, fragile,
fearsome, and elegiacally beautiful. Hughes maps the landscape,
both within and without, in language possessed of an almost
painterly sensitivity and a sublime mastery of craft. The self she
depicts is one who is tested by loss, danger, betrayal, and
abandonment, yet one who is transformed through experience into a
world beyond nihilism and despair a place that makes possible
truth, strength of character, and the redemptive power of love.
