In this book, double-speak and the tribalism of past generations mingle on the page. One poem will nod to the claustrophobic myths of Classical Greece, while the next might briefly linger over the scars of 20th-century Europe. Fire is a recurring motif in Lew's work. At times, heat is destructive, cleansing, erotic or all three simultaneously.

Rattling the Forms is an example of the paradoxical nature that permeates much of Lew's poetry. On one hand, the poem is presented to the reader in a strict format (a contemporary villanelle) – with certain lines repeated across three tercets and three quatrains. However, the subject of the poem is about breaking free from the constraints of marriage. This paradox is reinforced by the speaker wanting to both "dissolve" the union and "explode" its limits. How can something both dissolve and explode? The result is a kind of logical gymnastics that leads to various interpretations that linger long after the poem's final line.

At 112 pages, Crow College is a sizeable Australian collection in comparison with some other recent titles. Giramondo has done the Australian canon a service by ensuring Lew's poetry from her previous books, The Wild Reply and Anything the Landlord Touches, finds new readers. Meanwhile, those already familiar with her work will be greeted by 24 new pieces anthologised for the first time.

While some might have wished for a greater selection of new work, what has been chosen – heavy with atmosphere and domesticity – will ensure the book is revisited for years to come. Indeed, Li's introduction argues that Lew's poems "hold multiple stories, voices, threads of meaning".