Rhona McAdam's sixth collection of poems, Ex-ville, reflects upon what we leave behind: the people, places and journeys that shape our lives.

We peer through many doorways in this suburb of the imagination. The poet's move back to Canada from her home in England unfolds in a bittersweet series of poems that probe the meaning of departure and arrival.

The ambivalent pleasures of travel in an anxious but beautiful world lead us eloquently astray in many countries, longing "for home in each new bed, / worrying the nests of strangers".

The poles of life from first to second childhoods are explored with deft wisdom and technical skill, whether fingering the keys of failed piano lessons or taking the wheel when old age leads parents into dementia and institutionalization.

There is sadness and wisdom in these poems, as well as joy, love and passion. Ex-ville is a book to welcome and celebrate, and then return to, often.

Rhona McAdam was born in Duncan—a great-granddaughter of the town's namesake—and grew up on Vancouver Island. She lives in Victoria, BC. She has post-graduate degrees in communications planning, adult education and library and information science, and has worked in Canada, England and throughout Europe. Her poetry has been published in Canada, the US, Ireland and England and has been praised for her unique and engaging voice, her clarity, and her ability to balance the ethereal with the real. She has a gift for creating vivid landscapes, both actual and emotional.

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