Debbie: An Epic

Lisa Robertson's Debbie: An Epic is a wonderfully original non-linear lyric poem. Although it does not produce a narrative or present consistent characters, it takes in fundamental ideas--women's position in society, contemporary attitudes toward classical authors, distrust of narrative--and spins them into a beautiful, ever-shifting lyric fabric. Although you won't emerge with a paraphrasable story in your head, you undoubtedly will have extraordinary lines and phrases and images occupying your mind for days.The layout of the book itself is stunning, taking advantage of different font sizes and shades, white space, and margins--it's a feat of book design.