In a literary atmosphere where poetry book prizes proliferate and mediocrity dominates, Krygowski's first volume, chosen by Gerald Stern for the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, is a delight—which does not mean it's easy, or even pleasurable, to read. Instead, this is superbly crafted tragedy that stops short of melodrama or self-pity. The title poem describes the poet at 16, riding her bike along back roads, loving the speed, until two men in a truck pass and grab her long hair: and then the crumple/that was me, the gravel/pitting my pure heat. And that's only the start. The book is structured around the death of her sister, and each of the three sections has a poem titled She Dies. Part of the book's strength is its unrelenting focus, the theme and variations, threads dropped and picked up again, so that even a few seemingly unrelated poems are drawn into the fold. Highly recommended; the only question is whether Krygowski can sustain this energy for more than one book.— Rochelle Ratner, formerly with Soho Weekly News, New York