This is a book of what is called prose poetry. Prose poetry is more or less what is sounds like: very short bits of prose, no lines or rhyming or anything like that. Think of a prose poem as a tiny short story that does not attempt to move through time, but rather adds depth to a particular image or situation.
This book is very, very dark. But I like how the character is able to reconcile himself with the violent and dangerous world he inhabits. Here are some samples:
This is my favorite poem from the work. It's a good example of how the character finds joy in a fallen world. This is all of page 175:
"Our life is one catastrophe after another. Disaster dogs us. I'm the luckiest man alive, and you know what that means. Earthquakes, landslides, falling trees. Wind and rain and rising waters. What the hell, we survive. The coyotes are screaming on the other side of the field; it's a strange music. The stars are out. It's lovely here, and like the world, I marry you every day."
Here's another of my favorites. This is everything on page 16:
"The baby fusses. I read a book to quiet him, and he calms. His fingers open, show a lifeline, heartline, and all the fates lurking in his flesh. He's asleep when I finish, and one hand closes in a fist around my thumb. Somewhere he learned even dreams must be tethered to the earth."
One more of my favorites. Page 140:
"When your children ask, will you always love me, say you will love them forever, and tell them what forever means. You can explain the heavens if they ask, and tell them, your bodies are made from the dust of shattered stars. But when they ask you, will I ever die, then lie to them. They're still young, and it might frighten them if you said, no."
These are somewhat more uplifting than much of the book. But this is the kind of redemption the book offers amid all of the heavy things it ponders. As it would happen, this book is available free from Google Books. Just follow this link if you're interested:
http://books.google.com/books?id=OK4_6bLRB8wC&dq=no+other+life+gary+young&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=RtLgNfA7E-&sig=K-qfhHgjHuk74iVabvz55T_9AU4&hl=en&ei=x-bPSaOSOunrnQe0_ZzgCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPP1,M1
