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From what I understand there is still quite a lot of stigma around mental health in S Korea, so it must have taken a lot of courage for the author to publish such a frank and comprehensive 'write-up' of her counselling sessions. This was a book group read and it has led to some thoughtful and interesting discussions, but I felt that I would have enjoyed it more had it been better structured.

I'm a quarter of the way through this book and it is SO intriguing and original. Loving it.

This was an intriguing little story, but I felt it lacked the warmth and intensity of her other books.

This was my first time reading any of Berry's work and initially I found the sheer 'American-ness' of his poems placed me at a slight distance from them somehow? As I progressed through the book though, I started to feel an underlying theme of place and timelessness that drew me in. One thing that I found charming was that throughout the book there were poems dedicated to friends and friendship; such tokens of appreciation for male friendships are so rare.