Not Even October

Synopsis

Not Even October is a powerful and accessible collection from a poet who speaks directly to the reader – and whose words linger long after the page is turned.

Not Even October is a collection about the easy-to-miss moments that shape lives. Moments in classrooms, petrol stations, cafes and vets. In suburban gardens and city parks. In small-town streets and country lanes. Evoking love lost and found, nights of excess, threads of friendship, the rip of grief and the flickering, beautiful absurdities of life in a digital, distracted age, the poems trace how we make sense of memory, mortality, place and home. Not Even October vaults from humour to heartache – then back again – in a breath, attuned both to the anxiety-inducing barrage of turbulent times and the calming comforts offered by the natural world. In this tender, relatable debut, Relf navigates contemporary Britain, finding everyday magic in everyday places, while asking readers: How do we hold on to what matters – and let go of what doesn’t?

Praise for This Book

‘Relf has a real eye, and an original voice: frank, immediate, humorous. Most admirable of all, his poems find the surreal, the profound, in the fray of the everyday.’ —Rachel Long

‘A bold, fresh voice.’ —Luke Wright

‘Lovely, lively and utterly unique. It’s always a treat to read a Tim Relf poem.’ —Helen Mort

‘These poems invite us into a shared space and produce a sense of cultural intimacy – a feeling of: Yes, I have been here too and felt like this.’ —Ian McMillan