In this imagery-drenched collection of poetry, Pilibosian (My Literary Profile, 2010, etc.) uses verse to tell the fantastical tale of two extraterrestrials who come to Earth to start a new life together.
They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, but coming to the Big Apple from another town or country is one thing; Mr. and Mrs. Everydream, on the other hand, have come to the city from another world the planet of Tome. As they build a life in the big city, they also travel throughout the United States and take in the sun-dappled orchards of California, the rush of the Colorado River, the Cajun jazz of the bayou, and the heat of the desert.
However, the Everydreams worry that their daughter, also on Earth, will be taken from them, apparently to help bring life back to their home world. So, in a rather vague plot, the couple turns to the orchids that thrive on Earth in the hope that these flowers will revitalize the people of Tome.
As she takes the struggle to succeed in America and applies it to sci-fi, Pilibosian showcases her talent for creating swirls of surreal imagery. One of the standout poems, Where Was Everywhere? has husband and wife descending to Earth in silver parachutes as New Yorks ultimate immigrants: They swore allegiance to symphony / to prove their patriotism / and tried to fathom the cymbal clash. Also lush and lovely is Stretching the Lyric, which illustrates the Everydreams at a dance, as [v]oices from under the sea / melted the smog into night / and drank ballads played on trumpets.
Pilibosian describes her landscapes with color, music and sounds, the resulting poems becoming, at their core, loving depictions of life. A unique collection of verse with a sci-fi twist on the American dream.
--Kirkus Reviews