more than these bones is an epic and intercontinental poetry work detailing the author’s journey through heartbreak and self-discovery.

The book is rooted in place. Pieces land in multiple settings — the bar, the beach, the bush and sometimes, the bedroom, each location lending itself to another dimension of his story so far. The canopy of this collection stretches seamlessly from chic to ancient, from tender to tough, as Backhouse’s writing offers a vital, polyphonic voice for our times.

Alongside his words are photographs and hand-drawn expressions which speckle the page, every line the tattoo of an echo. more than these bones is filled with a love of flesh, of others, of country and eventually, for self.