Another outstanding collection from John Barnie, Sunglasses distils the work of a distinctive and accessible voice. The language is precise and accessible, yet each poem always says more than appears on first reading. Rooted in landscape and character, Barnie’s poetry shines an uncomfortable light onto issues of ecological degradation, mass extinction and mortality, yet remains lyrical and wry. He shakes a fist at the aging process, at the disappearance of species and at the insanities of modern politics and consumerist society, yet there is no note of bitterness. Acerbic? Sometimes. Cold? Never.