"[A] charming back-to-nature fantasia . . . even the strange blood feud bequeathed from Malicroix against a neighboring clan has a timeless, romantic quality." –Sam Sacks,
The Wall Street Journal "Readers partial to philosophical tangents will find much to enjoy here. . . . [A] work of tremendous lyricism." –
Kirkus
"[A] gothic historical par excellence . . . Bosco's atmospheric investigation of the relationship between environment and mentality successfully merges haunted-house tropes and high modernism." –
Publishers Weekly "In this vast prose-poem . . . the author takes the time to show the harrowing of space in which the house is to live like an anguished heart. . . . The real drama of
Malicroix is an ordeal by solitude." –Gaston Bachelard,
The Poetics of Space "[
Malicroix is] about solitude, and the anticipation of salvation . . . Bosco's book is stranger than I'd anticipated. 'Islands favor the moon, ' someone warns him as his residence on the island is about to begin. 'Dreams form over water, peopling it with unreal, captivating shapes; and if you dream too much, Sir, you will never leave this isle of magic.' I've read elsewhere that we're all having strange dreams at this moment; if for some reason you aren't,
Malicroix approximates that experience." –Rumaan Alam,
The New Republic's
Critical Mass: Text Message "The psychology of isolation, described with keenly observed interiority, fever dreams, and exalted, nearly animistic descriptions of nature are the highlights of these pages. . . . There is an almost mythical family curse at work on our narrator, but the real thrill of this book is the poetic power of the writer." –David Todd,
Booktrib (
Minneapolis Star Tribune)
"Bosco is sometimes thought of as kin to his near contemporary Jean Giono . . . [
Malicroix] is both exciting and philosophical. The perfect book for a time when so many of us are thinking a lot about place." –
Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau "Henri Bosco has done a masterful job of creating a sense of place . . . I loved this book, for the beautiful writing (and translation!) allowing me to contemplate the slow pace that we ourselves are now living . . . It is a time of seclusion that proves Martial's worth, as he must overcome severe adversity and his fears. . . . perhaps we, too, would be well-served to sit quietly by the fire, calmly reviewing our lives." –
Dolce Bellezza "Bosco sustains a feeling of eerie uncertainty. . . [
Malicroix's] atmosphere . . . is of a sinister dream-fog." –M.A. Orthofer,
The Complete Review