'A broad and beautifully worked canvas . . . An imaginative, deeply felt and evocative tale'
- Sunday Times
'A daring, imaginative feat; the world it conjures is at once familiar and strange, and strangely moving. A splendid first novel'
- John Banville
'This is a strong and moving work of fiction about the hard truths of changing one's life. Colm Tóibín, like his characters, never says too much and never lets us grow too comfortable. A grand achievement'
- Don DeLillo
'Colm Tóibín writes prose of a heartbreaking beauty.'
- Hilary Mantel
'Clever, evocative and intelligent'
- Irish Times
'The story is told with spare, simple elegance'
- London Review of Books