How the Weather Was

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How the Weather Was, Jean Kavanagh’s second collection, describes how someone’s choices can lead to an interruption of the ordinary, moving in parallel with the seemingly steadfast lives of others. Far from her origins — whether traversing an island in the Arctic on a night bus, or confronted by different stars in the New Zealand sky — the poet faces the challenge of returning to academia, and the kaleidoscope of new relationships, while holding on to the soul of who she used to be. The book’s final section opens into this revenant past, for a candid exploration of a trauma from decades before. It is an emotional weather report. The outlook is unsettled, but with the prospect of improving conditions.