Relationships are often detailed for their closeness, but the poems of this collection also explore the surprising isolation, and even danger, that is brought about by them. The poet drew from her own marriage and family relationships when she crafted these poems that are at once personal and adaptable, but she also considered her time spent in Spain with people who still remember the way neighbors and regions were torn apart by the Spanish Civil War. The encounters with interpersonal emotions, both firsthand and indirect, result in a reading experience that is starkly relevant.