The History of Anonymity

In the face of helplessness, the speaker of Chang's intense poems seeks to harness the power of nature: the mysterious force of the ocean and its often sinister inhabitants, as well as birds, which perhaps Chang overuses. She is at her best and boldest in raw poems such as “Innocence Essay,” which revisits the terror and desperation felt by an abused child. It's at the center of the book's haunting second section—following the extended title poem that opens the book—in which, with the nighttime forest as a backdrop, Chang ponders just how alive nature really is: “every puddle rivers with desire.” If nature is no less complex than humanity, it is perhaps less willful in its brutality, which is a small consolation. The final section continues the narrative of the victimized child, her sister, and her mother, with frankness and a refreshing lack of melodrama. (Apr.)