Western Australian poet Barbara Temperton is known for her skill in evoking the natural landscape and ability to reveal the interconnection of the human psyche and the natural world. For this latest collection Temperton draws on local legends and folklore to take the reader on a journey into the real and imagined world of people and place. From extensive research of newspaper articles, journals and local history, Temperton has written three fictitious narratives which are told through the ever present drama of the Western Australian landscape. The theme of the sea runs through the collection to tell the tragic tale of the lighthouse keeper’s wife, create a world around the unexplained disappearances at the Gap near Albany, and merge the mysterious Broome legend of the woman in a red dress with legendary warnings of the dangers of the Kimberley tidal flats. Australia has a long tradition of telling folklore in verse and readers of contemporary poetry will welcome this beguiling trio filled with captivating language and imagery which challenge the reader with their exploration of the unexplained. This is an extraordinary and haunting collection of poems from an award-winning poet which will remain in thought long after the final words are read.

Candice Cappe is the manager of the National Library Bookshop in Canberra

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