This one starts out almost solemn, half yearning for the days of suburban childhood, half trying to reinvent them somehow. Somewhere along the way, a poem switches the book’s gears, and we’re in LaLa land. Who’s the better actor? Does it matter? But then Doretta slowly pulls us back. We’re still in that childhood world somewhere, but just like a child’s imagination, that world changes so much from minute to minute that you’re never sure where you really are. As Doretta grows up in the book, she shares the hardships and some of the joys experienced by using the suburbs and city of Burnaby as a backdrop. An interesting glimpse into the mind of a young woman reminiscing and trying to move on. (Michelle Emmanuel)
poetry chapbook, $5, Doretta Lau, 4649 Darwin Avenue, Burnaby, BC, V5G 3E7.