The Apothecary

I immediately liked this book from the first word, "tersely." Lisa Robertson uses a lot of great words throughout this book of poetry. Words such as banality, ennui, slovenly, erstwhile, vertiginous, etc. You really get a sense of the intention behind the selection of each word.  

There are several repeating themes throughout, themes such as tearing, hygiene, kitchens, ankles, jars, photographs, vocabulary and many others. 

I noticed in the section where there are stanzas listed in alphabetical order by their heading, not all of the letters of the alphabet are used and some are used several times. 

I was thinking about the title of this book and wondering if it meant that the poet was the apothecary and therefore the poetry within this book was a sort of medicine for the reader. The themes I listed such as jars, hygiene, ankles, and tearing as well as the last section of poems definitely have a health/medical feel to them. 

While I don't necessarily understand the meanings of each of the poems, the style and use of interesting words held my attention and made me want to try to figure out what the poet was trying to say.