Neil Powell's seventh Carcanet collection explores the deep roots of identity: family histories we inherit, memories we carry, the casual decisions and wrong turnings that add up to make us who we are. Meditative, wry, melancholy and celebratory, this is Neil Powell is at his most versatile and memorable.

Exploring the deep roots of identity, this poetry collection by Neil Powell touches upon inherited family histories, memories, and the casual decisions and wrong turns that make us who we are. From subjects such as childhood, leaving home, and first love to a compelling narrative based on a journal kept by Powell's grandmother of her life in South Africa, this compilation demonstrates how perspectives shift with time. Other included pieces discuss the London bombers of 2005, the life of a grand piano, and elegize two old friends. Meditative, wry, melancholy, and celebratory, this is Powell at his most versatile and memorable.