"Shot through with a tender, nostalgic quality . . . Petterson brings the book to an unexpectedly moving conclusion." –Financial Times
"This is a small book that packs a punch . . . Petterson's style . . . is stripped like a bleached Wallander landscape and leaves you no place to hide from Arvid's all-too-vivid reality. You are gripped by a few simple words." –
Independent on Sunday "The talent has been there from the very beginning . . . The delicacy and simplicity of Petterson's vision of childhood also suggests Carver's master Chekhov . . . If you haven't read Per Petterson at all . . . it's quite possible you'll want to read everything he has written. If you are already an admirer you won't want to miss this one." –
The Sydney Morning Herald