A Lack of Good Sons

(Paperback)

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I am seconds away from everything. I am the bullseye of the world. A Lack of Good Sons is a book of poetry that carries us through many realms - Greek myth, the Bible, dream, and the earthly world, with all its beauty and violence. An eclectic range of speakers, from deities to inanimate objects, describe encounters and turning points in their lives. A ship's mast remembers itself as a tree. A boy is held hostage by his hair. A gardener is abducted by aliens. And the three Fates - spinning, snipping, sewing through the various ages of men - abruptly run out of thread. Opening with a bizarre sight through a window and closing with a love letter, Jake Arthur's wonderfully unsettling, funny and romantic first book keeps readers guessing what will come next. 'There is something Cochranesque in these poems. By "1588" I was converted. I tore "Saturn devouring his son" out of the manuscript and began carrying it round with me and reading it to people.' -James Brown, author of The Tip Shop 'Far-reaching, funny, and often startling, A Lack of Good Sons is an absorbing journey of shifting worlds and perspectives. Jake Arthur announces himself as a masterful new voice, brave and bold enough to question everything that shapes us.' -Tim Grgec, author of All Tito's Children

Author Bio

Jake Arthurs poetry has appeared in journals including Sport, Mimicry, Food Court, Turbine, Return Flight and Sweet Mammalian. He has a PhD in Renaissance literature and translation from Oxford University.