‘A captivating story about family, belonging and home’.

– New Books

‘Van Booy charms us with the struggles of this unlikely father-figure’.

– Sunday Herald

'The novel is almost heartbreaking in its expression of the hunger to love and be loved'

– Mary Ellen Quinn, Booklist

‘The moving account of a unique relationship between a parent and child, thrust together under the worst of circumstances. With fine, nuanced prose and much tenderness, Booy guides this unlikely father-daughter pair into a beautiful maturity, showing us with great heart what it really means to be a family’

– Elizabeth Crane, author of The History of Great Things

‘Deftly portrays his characters’ raw emotions’

– Wall Street Journal

‘Van Booy writes with muted unsentimental elegance about the impulses that bind us together’

– The Times

‘Tells his stories without affectation, but ever so effectively as a stylist and a devout humanist’

– Portland Press Herald

‘The uncanny beauty of Van Booy's prose, and his ability to knife straight to the depths of a character's heart, fill a reader with wonder’

– San Francisco Chronicle

‘This is a truly special writer who does things with abstract language that are so evocative and original, your breath literally catches in your chest’

– Andre Dubus III

‘From minimalistic sentences he wrings out maximum impact, stripping away artifice and elaboration in favor of stark, emotional clarity and honesty’

– Boston Globe

‘Van Booy writes like Hemingway but with more heart’

– New Hampshire Public Radio