This sequence of poems, written over the course of the 35 years since her suicide, elucidate Ted Hughes's relationship with his wife, the poet Sylvia Plath. Addressed directly to her, they form a chronological narrative that attempts to understand Plath's life and tragic death. The Los Angeles Times chose this as one of the best books of poetry of 1998. After Hughes's death, it was awarded the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year award. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.