The Abbotsford Mysteries [Paperback]

The Abbotsford Convent becomes more than the setting of this poetry collection; it emerges as presence, intimate and familiar as well as constraining and forbidding. But, it is childhood itself that becomes the subterranean geography and pulse of this compilation as the poems explore what it means to grow up in an orphanage. Subject to the rules of lay and religious adults, the voices herein create multiple pathways through memory and time as they map and navigate the many-stranded mysteries of their institutionalized lives.

“The narrative force of Patricia Sykes new collection is astonishing. Each poem is both moving and disturbing, as humble as it is sad.The Abbotsford Mysteriesmanages to be very much sui generis, while remaining intensely accessible. I can’t think of another recent book in which History and Art get on so well. Definitely a must-read.”  —Rob Riel, publisher, Wagtail series of Picaro Press

Patricia Sykesis the author ofModewarre: Home Groundand Wire Dancing, which was shortlisted for the Anne Elder and Mary Gilmore Awards, andWomen's Circus. Her poem River Salvages won the John Shaw Neilson Poetry Award. She is also a professional storyteller and performer. Outstanding poetry by a multiple prize-winning author about an emotionally-charged subject.