Mary J. Olivers debut is an unusual and striking coalescing of prose poetry found documents and photographs. It ranges across the history of 20th century England and Canada as she uncovers the life of her father Jim Neat b. 1904. She adopts a legal structure making the case for the worth of Jims life. Jim leaves England at an early age as a seaman. He travels to South Africa stows away to Australia and eventually lands in Canada at the time of the Great Depression. He meets his partner Lizbietta