Jackself Summary
Polley, Jacob

Jackself Overview

Jackself, by Jacob Polley, is a poetry collection that follows the title character, Jackself, a young boy living in rural England, as he attempts to navigate the complex journey from childhood to adulthood and deal with a loss of innocence that can never be recovered. Friendless and outcast by the others in his village, Jackself makes an unlikely friend in the brash and adventurous Jeremy Wren, who helps Jackself learn to enjoy life and better understand his place in the world. The book explores themes such as the difficulty of processing grief, the false security of childhood, reincarnation as a form of healing, the permeation of legend, and the connection between humans and nature.