Contogenis explores themes of family, trauma, and death in these bittersweet poems. In “Giddy Green,” the speaker reflects on the effort to capture fleeting sensations and the ordinariness of daily survival. “In Tandem” explores the changing relationships between mothers and children as they age, while “Drachmas for My Father” depicts a paternal reunion; “Ikaria” and “A Sure Thing” document the speaker’s interactions with a dying father. In “What Is It Like to Be a Guinea Pig,” the speaker wonders if one guinea pig is mourning its dead companion. “Easier Done” portrays a strained mother-son relationship in which the grown speaker recalls his mother’s controlling care with a mix of resentment and tenderness. The speaker transitions their mother to a “longer-dying / home” in “That Me.” While playing cards with his mom in “Corpsing,” the speaker notes the death of their old roles and wonders, “is she not // my dear-old unlovable mother?” “View from the Temple at Nas” depicts a modern visitor at an ancient Greek temple who feels out of place. The collection’s scope widens to include cultural references: “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Thing of it” reference films, while the final poem, “Ikaros,” imagines the arc of Icarus from curious boy to doomed daredevil. Contogenis’ work is most impactful when intimately focused on family and its complexities. He bravely names dynamics like “Mommy Cuddles Her Hurt Boy” and intersperses them with tender moments, like a mother doing laundry, her arms swinging “to join the corners / —freeing one hand to swoop to its first fold. / In no time, she’s dancing with shoulders, arms, and white.” The poet’s language is evocative and original in lines like, “listen for blood tapping / along your brittle pipes, the radiator rattling / in your chest.” His character descriptions create vivid images, like an aging man with “sleek, still-black mustache tips.” However, some of the poems are so cryptic that readers may struggle to decipher their meaning.