Robin McGrath’s first collection of poetry represents her eclectic interests and unique journey through life. A native of Newfoundland, McGrath lived for 15 years in London, Ontario, where she raised three children and completed a PhD in Canadian literature at the University of Western Ontario. She has worked as a journalist, a professor, and has published Canadian Inuit Literature (1984), a study that traces contemporary Inuit literature back to its oral roots. Born a Catholic, she converted to Judaism and is an active member of the Jewish community in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she now lives. Her seventh book, this volume of poems, follows an earlier collection of short fiction.

Escaped Domestics is divided into four sections. Not surprisingly, the poems are varied in subject and form, and they often tell a story. The speaker is engaged by little-known historical events, people around her, and family. She brings a distanced perspective even to the shared intimacy of lovers. The result is a diverse collection of poems unified by the measured voice of a seasoned observer and practiced writer.

The first section evokes the geographic and linguistic landscape of Newfoundland. Rough waters and a “curving spine of rock” are the backdrop for such memorable scenes as a wake for “this large lady / who died of dropsy / she swole up.” McGrath captures the idiosyncratic character of place that so identifies Newfoundland. Part two takes the reader north to the Arctic where the speaker is also at home on barren and precarious terrain. Undaunted, she faces the challenges of a formidable landscape and records the stories of the Inuit.

The final sections are the most personal of the volume. Set in both Israel and Newfoundland, the poems celebrate faith and family. Judaism inspires joy and awe, as does the speaker’s relationship with her children and her new husband. McGrath’s poetry is softly cadenced and open to possibilities that she shares generously with her readers.