In Gordon Street

One of the thematic mainstays of poetry is place and how it helps locate us within time and memory, all of which applies to Gerry Cambridge’s poem “In Gordon Street.”

Inevitably, given the current situation, “In Gordon Street” now provokes in the reader their own memories of somewhere they cannot, for the time being, visit. The poem is taken from his recent collection The Light Acknowledgers and other poems (Happenstance, £10). You can also read it on the Scottish Poetry Library’s website, where it forms part of the SPL’S annual online anthology Best

Scottish Poems. Editor Roseanne Watt has assembled her favourite poems of 2019 – a collection packed with gems and a reminder of the gone-away world.

Something about—

in these new dark nights of cold, the clocks gone back and me duffel and happed— passing in Gordon Street the entrance to Central and through its arches that glimpse of orange names and times lit in their neat columns on the electronic boards— Crossmyloof, Euston,

Birmingham New Street, Ayr—

touches me

as if my father, looking through my eyes or that part of me that feels him there exclaimed, astonished, still covetous in his bony grave

for I could board tonight to any of those unearthly destinations

whatever train I chose

You will find a copy of The Light Acknowledgers by Gerry Cambridge at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh when it reopens

IN BRIEF

The Mother Code

By Carole Stivers Hodder and Stoughton, 352pp, £20.99

In the not-too-distant future, the human race is at risk due to a mysterious flu-like illness. With the aim of wiping out a terrorist cell and leaving no evidence, the US government funded research into weaponising a virus. After secretly testing this bioweapon in the desert, however, it spreads across the country.

Flashforward to 2060. Humankind’s survival is in the hands of a generation of genetically engineered youngsters born to, and raised by, machines, following the Mother Code. But as the children mature, so do the machines. A dystopian tale which feels scarily relevant right now.

Available as an e-book now and as a hardback from 25 August

Rachel Howdle

The Switch

By Beth O’leary Quercus, 336pp, £12.99

As a self-confessed chick-lit fan, I was surprised to realise I hadn’t read Beth O’leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare – and even more so after devouring her second book, The Switch. The story follows a grandmother, Eileen Cotton, and granddaughter, Leena, as they swap lives for two months. Leena, who is struggling to deal with her sister’s death, has some much-needed rest from her city job, and takes over a small cottage in a quiet Yorkshire village, while newly single Eileen moves to London and discovers casual dating. It makes for a warm, witty, weepy read, as both women face challenges, but also learn a lot about themselves along the way. ■

Georgia Humphries