‘Once again, reading kept me going this year. I started the year recovering from an operation and seeking somewhere new to live. I was then made redundant in February and spent a good few months searching for work. Professional losses and personal losses have combined to make the year something of a tumult, and reading has been an anchor. Except when I read something I hated.’

“At the end of my dream he coughs on the tube in his throat/
and my team steps back into the silent past,/
the wish to pronounce him gone at last.”