The Unswept Room

From Sharon Olds: a dazzling new collection of poems that project a fresh spirit, a startling energy of language and rhythm, and a moving, elegiac tone shot through with humour. From poems that erupt out of the traumas of childhood and the painful disconnections between mother and daughter to the nurturing of the poet’s own offspring and the transformative power of marital love, Sharon Olds takes risks, writing boldly of physical and emotional sensations seldom confronted in poetry. These are poems that strike for the heart, drawing us into her experiences, capturing our imaginations with unexpected word play, sprung rhythms and startling revelations. Writing at the peak of her powers, this greatly admired poet gives us one of her finest collections.