"[Uribe's] book is studded with unbelievable gemstones, relics of an oral tradition that have over time transcended the true-false binary. . . . Three gestures–idiosyncrasy, allusion, and aphorism–are pillars of the novel's style, bolstering its investigation of heritage, temporality, and fatherhood. . . . At the heart of the novel is an appreciation of the potent resonances of touch, both literal and figurative. . . . In mining his familial past, the narrator touches palms with his ancestors. Through Bilbao-New York-Bilbao, Uribe runs his fingers through the ocean of another century." –Natasha Ayaz, The Common
"A seamlessly digressive meditation on a writer's family and Spanish history. . . . Uribe's transfixing Sebaldian anecdotes take the reader down a series of rabbit holes and end up piecing together a memorable family portrait. It adds up to a powerful work of autofiction." –Publishers Weekly
"The transmission of memory–cultural, regional, and personal–relies on storytelling, and as such, Uribe's storytelling often takes on the flavour of myth." –Asymptote
Praise for Kirmen Uribe:
"Uribe has succeeded in realizing what is surely an ambition for many writers: a book that combines family, romances and literature, anchored deeply in a spoken culture but also in bookishness–and all without a single note of self-congratulation." –Times Literary Supplement
"Uribe's literature deepens its roots in the Basque Country, but it's completely universal." –Harvard Book Review
"[Uribe's] works enlighten the path for memory." –Los Angeles Times Book Review