A familiar story. Here is another collection of poems which is almost entirely single-themed (woman climbers and climbing) and which, as a result, means many of the poems blend into one another and risk losing their individual identity. Which is a shame. Especially as some of them – like the excellent “Kiss” – might be missed along the way.
There is no doubting Helen Mort’s talent (her novel, Black Car Burning – also about climbing – is excellent) though I’m afraid the repetitive nature of “No Map Could Show Them” doesn’t do it justice. Not for me anyway.
Ian Gouge - Writer 