Book excerpt: The Paradox of Sonder is a collection of poems and short stories that vividly explores such themes as: comradeship, nature, human connection, family, racism, sexuality, and love. Through his resourceful use of the music in language, Jack Dunbar crafts profound and deeply rousing works of poetry and prose. In his poem For the Female Night, readers can expect to acquaint themselves with a protective, feminine darkness, whereas his short story Let Me Bare Arms promotes a masculine perspective that is aching and lost. With its genesis in the complexity of connecting, The Paradox of Sonder means to challenge the idea of detachment, that amid a generation of increasing emotional solitude, we can connect through “words and their beautiful music”.