"This is a sort of poignancy possible only through the striking together of profound sadness with tough humor. McHugh's rigorous experiments with language give these poems the feel of tightly coiled springs in their precision and energy."--Jessica Garratt, Austin Chronicle ". McHugh here returns to her own signature bravura and obsessive word play, focusing on the struggle of eye and mind, brain and body, to mediate the exacting details of an exquisitely overwrought world. probing language in a way that enhances (and seems inextricably linked to) scientific inquiry."-- Publishers Weekly "All of her lines are demanding, especially her last lines-puzzling yet provocative, they're like little switches that flip at the end, sending the reader back into the poet's maze of words."-- The New York Times Book Review "This is a sort of poignancy possible only through the striking together of profound sadness with tough humor McHugh's rigorous experiments with language give these poems the feel of tightly coiled springs in their precision and energy."--Jessica Garratt, Austin Chronicle "Her writing is so alert to itself, so alert to language, it's like watching a dancer on a mirrored floor, stepping on her steps.

She's practically playing with her words as she writes them down."--Robert Hass, Washington Post Book World.