The third collection from celebrated poet Joan Crate carries the reader along on a sequence of poetic reveries that collide and collude suburban routine with subconscious fantasy. The specter of Snow White--here in an incarnation far Grimmer than her more familiar casting as the wide-eyed Angel in the House--haunts the corridors of the collection, first as a retro-, then as a made-over fairy-tale reflection of the lives of contemporary women. The poems reflect upon family relationships and gender roles with acerbic humour, wistfulness, and, finally, acceptance, painting a mid-life view of childhood influences and expectations that is both stirring and wise.