I have been a fan of Christian Wiman for quite some time. I was a subscriber to Poetry magazine when he was editor, and I have read several of his books of poetry. I was quite excited when NetGalley allowed me access to an ARC of this work. Zero at the Bone is, as the title says, centered around the theme of despair. This is a theme with which Wiman is well acquainted, both because of his personal history of cancer and, as I learned in reading this collection, his chaotic family history, filled with pain and addiction and mental illness.

Unfortunately, I found this book incredibly hard to work through, like a particularly difficult contemporary poem. Some of the pieces are piercing, in particular the piece about his family. But more than a few of the others were opaque, and the book as a whole felt disjointed. There are thematic connections, of course. The general topic of loss and maintenance of one's spirit in the face of that loss. Wiman's complex understanding of Christian faith, to which he alludes obliquely most of the time. But, overall, the whole effect of the book is one of random glimpses of a rotating object in a dark room, occasionally lit by a strobe light.

Wiman is a very good poet, of course, so there are moments here. But I'm afraid that I found myself avoiding picking up the book because I couldn't discern the message that should have linked these disparate short pieces. It did not engage me, and I ultimately could not finish it.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an ARC.

This is my second Christian Wiman read, and I was not disappointed. Each brief piece (there are fifty) is rich with language and depth. The book includes poetry and prose from Wallace Stevens, Lucille Clifton, and Emily Dickinson. I most enjoyed the pieces that involve his children, their questions and comments bring more life into what could be a dry/scholarly read. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.