Deeply original ... Reva writes as though powered by a jolt of adrenalin ... Endling conjures the deeply online sense of the darkly funny material that emerges from unprecedented times * Observer Books of the Year *
Pulls off the trick of being a witty satire, a meta-fiction about how to write about your country and planet in crisis, and a deeply moving war story, all at the same time * Emma Donoghue, Irish Times Books of the Year *
A Ukrainian caper taking in endangered snail species and the marriage industry is disrupted, in both the writing and the reading, by Russia's full-scale invasion. Reva handles the formal demands of melding autofiction, road trip and blistering reportage with poignancy and flair * Guardian Books of the Year *
Endling shouldn't be funny, but it is - very. Set in Ukraine just as Putin invades, it features three young women, on two different missions, in one vehicle. Structurally wild and playful, Endling is also heart-rending and angry. It examines colonialism, old and neo, the role of women, identity, power and powerlessness, and the very nature of fiction-writing. Maria Reva also tells a riveting, unique story; the shock is that this is her first novel. It's a book about the world now, and about three unforgettable women, Yeva, Nastia and Solomiya, travelling together in a mobile lab. The endling, by the way, is a snail * Booker Prize *
Maria Reva has made a fantastic novel. It's about so much and yet is laser focused. A scientist who funds her research with sex work, a wild and, at the same time, sensible and normal move. This novel turns corners and tables. I love works that are smarter than I am and this is one -- Percival Everett, author of Booker-shortlisted JAMES
In Maria Reva's all-around brilliant novel Endling, the fate of some snails serves as a harbinger for the fate of Ukraine. The book is funny and smart, full of science, longing and adventure, all the while reminding us what the world stands to lose, and what it has already lost. This is essential reading -- Ann Patchett, bestselling author of TOM LAKE
Heartbreaking, hilarious, profound, and vital, Endling is a brilliant, visceral journey that pulses with a powerful sense of urgency and relevance to our times -- Lara Prescott, bestselling author of THE SECRETS WE KEEP
A fierce and funny road-trip novel which is - literally - interrupted by Russia's invasion * Guardian, The 50 hottest books to read right now *
Inventive and powerful. The reminders that these characters are fiction emphasises that the horror and the violence are real * Sunday Times *
A thrilling ride . . . Tender but never mawkish . . . Reva is breaking down the molecules of fiction to get at a 'broader, truer truth' through her combination of drama, self-examination and, notably, humour * Financial Times *
A dexterous and formally inventive debut novel ... Reva shares with us personal details about her connection with Ukraine, as well as her awareness of the war and the artistic challenge she faces: can anyone in good conscience make fiction out of these tragic events? The answer to that question is resoundingly affirmative. * Marcel Theroux, Guardian Book of the Day *
A stunning debut . . . [its] formal adventurousness demonstrates the depth that the novel can bring to issues we struggle to reckon with * Observer *
I was gripped by Yeva's journey across her beautiful, war-ravaged country with her fragile yet hardy snails, a symbol of hope and endurance even when death seems inevitable. Brilliant -- Sara Lawrence * Daily Mail *
Suspenseful and powered by a rare urgency * Mail on Sunday *
Startling and ambitious * New York Times *
Brilliant and heart-stopping *