Stranger

'A heartbreakingly stunning collection dedicated to the unsung suspension of time that occurs when life suddenly goes awry.' -Ada LimonStranger is a book of both great change and deep roots, of the richest elements of the earth and the instability of a darkening sky. The third collection by Adam Clay dives into a dynamic world where the only map available is 'not of the world / but of the path I took to arrive in this place, / a map with no real definable future purpose.' Tracing a period of great change in his life-a move, a new job, the birth of his first child-Clay navigates the world with elegance and wonder, staring into the heart of transition and finding in it the wisdom that 'Despite our best efforts to will it shut, / the proof of the world's existence / can best be seen in its insistence, / in its opening up.' By firmly grasping on to the present, the past and the future collapse into the lived moment, allowing for an unclouded view of a way forward.'In language that is circular, stoic, and almost Zen-like, Clay attempts to remain himself in the face of life shifting underneath him.' -Publishers Weekly'In those moments when one rearranges the furniture in a room or leaves the cast-iron skillet in the oven or contemplates an ink stain on the wall, Clay finds a space for deep inquiry.' -Kazim Ali