The Holding focuses on the many ways we can overcome the perils that afflict us during an era of medical, personal, and political plague. At the book's heart is the Alzheimer's of the author's wife and the love it has called forth in him. Presented in roughly chronological order, McQuilkin's poems also address other crises. Subtitled "Love in a Time of Loss, " the book deals with everything from the premature death of a friend to the "de-pigeoning" of a garden spot. Always there is an upbeat, often witty tenor to the book, which suggests that the more we are challenged the more we find it in us to call on resources of love and courage that might have lain low in more manageable times. These poems are highly readable and classic in their Quaker-like simplicity. They will make you laugh and cry and cheer for the inspiration they offer.