THE SYMMETRY OF FISH

It's easy to imagine being at an in-person reading while listening to Su Cho narrate these lyrical poems. There's a rhythmic intensity to her performance that gives her work a sense of urgency and immediacy. In poems that are both playful and formal Cho explores the intersections of language, translation, lineage, immigration, family, and food. The poems centered around food are particularly poignant, as Cho uses stark, beautiful imagery--deboning fish, using chopsticks, slicing vegetables--to illuminate the rituals, histories, and complex emotions that define her own and her family's relationship to food and culture. Her narration is full of deliberate pauses, shifts in volume, and dramatic accents on particular words. But none of this feels contrived; every poem comes alive in Cho's rich, inviting voice. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2022]