"The story of Jackself is threaded with nursery rhymes, riddles and cautionary tales, and told through the many 'Jacks' of English legend, phrase and fable: Everyman Jacks and no one Jacks, Jack Frost and Jack-O'Lantern, Cheapjacks and Jackdaws. At once playful and terrifying, songlike and narratively compelling, Jackself is an unforgettable and disturbing tale of an innocence and childhood lost in the darker corners of Reiver country. It also confirms Jacob Polley is one of the most singular imaginations at work today"--Page 4 of cover.