The Point of Loss

John Mole's new collection relishes and celebrates a variety of occasions where the private and the public intersect. Personal memories are explored with a sharpness which avoids sentimentality while the seriousness of many of his subjects is addressed with a blend of affection, sardonic humour and a characteristic lightness of touch. Several of the poems owe much to his involvement with music and the visual arts, particularly jazz and film, but rather than providing a diversion they contribute to a way of looking at the world which strengthens the unity of the collection as a whole.