This book of poems should be read before or after viewing Deepa Mehta's new film Heaven on Earth, which could be Heaven and Hell or Hell on Earth. Just as children do not recover from abuse, so it is for uprooted emigrees. The damage lasts for generations. The first generation lies down on the threshold. The second carries a heavy burden of past and present expectation. The writing in this book is passionate and intelligent, and the agony of displacement is felt in every line. "I am the hanging hinge/of your burnt down house opening to you."

These ashes are valuable compost.