It's not until you read a novel by Patrick McGrath that you remember how boring most books are. Even stories that keep readers turning the pages for the plot can be flatly told, and many first-person narrators have no individuality. Not so with McGrath, whose novels make a distinctive voice an essential part of the telling, and remind us that the bias of the teller is an integral element in any tale. Last Days in Cleaver Square is a passionate, tempest-tossed memoir by Francis McNulty - made up of equal parts what he's telling us and what he isn't . . . The narrative voice might be his ripest yet . . . The pleasure in a Patrick McGrath novel is the travelling, not the arrival, and this is a rare novel that has pleasure on every page.

McGrath expertly deploys some of his trademark elements . . . and is unfailingly deft in his handling of trauma and deceit. Tiny elements fleetingly present in the story return later on like a whole arsenal of Chekhov's guns to be duly discharged, or occasionally decommissioned. By its conclusion Last Days in Cleaver Square manages to pull off the impressive trick of being narratively coherent and satisfying, yet still true to the messy businesses of memory, ageing, guilt and how to tell the story of a life.

This is a wonderful, thrilling novel, based on a fascinating conceit. The story will hook you on the first page and hold you a willing captive until the end. Patrick McGrath writes with his accustomed control and clarity, but in Last Days in Cleaver Square he has broken through to new depths of insight and emotion.

Last Days in Cleaver Square has a wonderful otherworldly quality that keeps you turning the pages, without ever seeming implausible. I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into Francis McNulty's story, in much the same way he feels haunted by the strange ghost, and the past. I can't think of anything else quite like it. It weaves a kind of spell. And it's a very moving portrayal too of a complicated father-daughter relationship, neither of them fully able to break away.

An atmospheric novel, with a magnificently unreliable narrator, combining family comedy with harrowing themes of death and betrayal ... In the often-mannered first person prose, which is replete with panicky ejaculations, this book enjoys playing with the conventions of the ghost story, of tales of sensation and the supernatural ... McGrath is a connoisseur of this literary tradition.

The novel's hallucinatory texture is a potent mechanism for the portrayal of trauma and denial.

This is vintage McGrath material: a narrative patchwork rich in repressed memory, guilt, self deception and torment ... [A] moving, mischievous novel

As ever with McGrath, the gothic elements in the story are given full rein, but such is the pace and vigour of the storytelling that he takes his readers with him every step of the way.

Wonderful. So atmospheric, engaging and engrossing . . . all the characters and relationships were superb.

Profound and haunting; a gripping unsettling novel by a brilliant storyteller.

It is intricate, ingenious, propulsive - but it is also affecting

An extraordinary mix of existential thriller and speculative fiction. Questions of philosophy, mathematics and astrophysics bend this novel far from the typical mold, and Le Tellier's characters must confront the deepest questions of existence. This thought-provoking literary work deserves a wide readership

A French literary phenomenon...The Anomaly captured a moment when the pandemic stopped the world and existence veered toward the virtual. It swerves between various genres - science fiction, a thriller, love stories, an introspective work - without being confined by any of them

Written with such page-turning conviction that readers are guaranteed a thoroughly enjoyable intellectual workout

The buzz around this Goncourt prize-winner is richly deserved, and just when you think you've worked it out . . . well, you probably haven't

Intriguing

A flight of imagination you'll be rolling over in your mind long after deplaning

A striking thought experiment...Le Tellier delivers some sharp social comedy here. But behind the comedy are more profound psychological questions about individual freedom. The Anomaly is priceless

A witty, erudite novel, teeming and minutely detailed, a treat throughout, with-at its centre-that head-spinning conceit that will leave you deep in thought for a long time after reading the final page. It is rare to have so much fun with something so intelligent

The Anomaly is thought-provoking and philosophical yet thrilling too, with superbly drawn characters, a dynamic plot, and a fascinating question at its heart - what if the entire world as we know it is a lie?

A speculative thriller from literary powerhouse Hervé le Tellier. Perfect for those who like their realities unstable

Mind-bending

Humorous, captivating, thoughtful - existentialism has never been so thrilling

Manifest meets Lost in The Anomaly...a puzzle box of a sci-fi thriller

An extraordinary, fast-paced, disturbing novel, perfect for these extraordinary, fast-paced, disturbing times. Think Steven Spielberg meets Umberto Eco with a side order of black humour, generously sprinkled with genuine emotion

A uniquely, gloriously, provocatively French contribution to the sci-fi thriller genre - it will keep you guessing, get your heart pounding, and make you feel and wonder and - above all - think

In The Anomaly, Hervé Le Tellier has delivered a volatile and compelling thriller that has you hurtling toward the mystery at the heart of the novel from page one. The Anomaly is a gripping and moving blend of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, the television show Lost, with a bit of The Philadelphia Experiment thrown in for good measure. I couldn't put it down.

Exhilarating, thought-provoking, funny, and devastating. The Anomaly is unlike anything else I've read this year

I was completely blown away by this genre-defying masterpiece. Part thriller, part philosophical rumination on what makes us human, and with a dash of theoretical physics; this is an absolute must-read

The Anomaly is a brilliant balancing act of a novel, a fantastic rush and ride that works on myriad levels, at various depths, and in a multitude of styles. It's a precise and erudite literary treat, a comedic sociopolitical-religious skewering of these contemporary times, a philosophical-scientific-mathematical dive into the puzzles of possibility, space, and time, and an ingenious thought experiment that lends itself easily to ad infinitum analysis and dissection. It's also entirely grounded in human nature. Le Tellier's pointillistic characters are, like all of us, buffeted by desires, seeking love, striving, aging, making good and bad decisions, choosing the right or wrong paths, believing they know and understand themselves, utterly trusting in free will. Highly intelligent, ironic without cheap cynicism, The Anomaly is an immensely fun novel, an immersive experience that leaves the reader analysing everything anew

The year has only just begun but I will be surprised if I read something as astonishing as The Anomaly in the next 12 months

It's dizzying, exhilarating, brilliant!

An intoxicating mix of the magical and life's big questions

Hervé le Tellier's new novel is an exquisite, insane surprise. Quite simply astounding

An addictive page-turner, The Anomaly flirts with thriller and science fiction, and mirrors the best televisions series in its very effective orchestration of suspense. Filled with fascination existential and metaphysical questions, this is an effective, funny and discreetly melancholy novel

A brilliant, extremely inventive book. Like an astounding screenplay for an American blockbuster, written by a Frenchman who is having fun with it

Hervé le Tellier has written an impossible novel. It's a thriller but also a fantasy. A choral novel, which is also surrealist. An adventure, a page turner, a bestseller, but also an experimental, highly literary work

A delight. Intricate, ingenious, propulsive - but also affecting, with numerous moments that are terribly poignant along with its puzzles and winks

How would society respond to the inexplicable? This is the question the author tries, with intelligence, elegance and humour, to answer. Hervé le Tellier has written a frank and gripping novel with complex, moving characters. You won't be able to put it down!

Effervescent playfulness . . . Hilariously deadpan

The novel is a tour de force which both dives into the personal lives of several characters and at the same time gives a group perspective on an international event which verges on science fiction. The taut rhythm of the investigation keeps the reader on tenterhooks

The situations are mad, but the questions they raise, far less so. Such is the profundity of this astonishing book: it makes light of itself, lending an air of fantasy to the fates of its characters, while Hervé le Tellier holds a mirror up before us

A master of one-touch characterisation. Le Tellier's genius is in making the unimaginable feel authentic

Le Tellier, throughout this flight, deposits on the tarmac his stunned reader, ready to applaud

Le Tellier is a masterful writer and his staggering story verges on thriller and science fiction

Somewhere between fable and science fiction, it's a fascinating novel

The novel weaves a surprising story out of several narrative threads which give Hervé le Tellier the opportunity to touch on as many literary genres as he does themes, in a biting and often funny critique of the start of the 21st century

Excellent...at once zeitgeisty, intelligent, and entertaining

Fantastic...The Anomaly wears its name well: it's rare in France that a work combines the best of American TV series with an impeccable mastery of the French psychological novel

Dizzying, compelling

Mind-bending. Herve Le Tellier's emotional and intellectual rollercoaster is well worth the ride

A delightfully confounding thriller . . . Le Tellier's prose is beautifully efficient and capable of quiet devastation

Compelling . . . A disturbing and complex tale about dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships. It's not always an easy read but it's absolutely one you won't be able to put down

Included in 'Books for 2021'

The mother of all thrillers! Like The Girl on the Train - but better!

Utterly mesmerising. Ashley Audrain's powerful debut novel explores the challenges of motherhood and the terrifying isolation of being trapped within a sinister truth that no-one else believes.

One of the most anticipated novels of this year . . . fast-paced, it has the ability to distract you from anything. Exactly what we need right now

Written with an unflinching eye and a stylistically sharp, tight economy The Push is a single-sitting read, as suspenseful as any thriller, as thoughtful as any literary novel, with an almost physical force behind each of its turns and revelations. By the end, the reader will feel wrung out in the way only the best of books leaves you. Audrain's debut is a stunning, devastating novel and, frankly, one hell of a way to start a year of reading

Included in 'Books to Watch 2021'

Hooks you from the very first page and will have you racing to get to the end

Included in 'Best New Books'

This is a sterling addition to the burgeoning canon of bad seed suspense, from an arrestingly original new voice

This taut and tense hurricane of a debut is best devoured in one sitting

This dazzling debut mixes page-turning suspense with a psychological drama

Once you start in on this story, it becomes difficult to control yourself. A twisted, tight, and exhilarating drama

This psychological thriller about a mother's bond with her daughter will keep you turning pages

This nuanced book challenges the notion of nature versus nurture, and whether a mother's love is enough. It's disturbing, painful and brilliant, holding a mirror up to society

The Push is a thriller that is also a compelling examination of motherhood and of how trauma is passed down through generations

A tense, chilling dip into the dark side of motherhood . . . The Push is uncomfortable and provocative, like a train wreck that demands your gaze

The most tense, thrilling read that will chill and enthral in equal measure

Disturbingly brilliant . . . will render you speechless

A page-turning debut crafted with shrewd expertise - read it before the inevitable screen adaptation

Unflinching, moving and very, very powerful

The clever and powerful psychological thriller everyone has been talking about . . . an unsettling, breathtaking and powerful read about obsession and our deepest fears that will stay with you long after you turn the final page

Audrain has the ability to mesmerise . . . heart-wrenching. A dark, pacy read

A compelling, visceral and bruising portrayal of motherhood that once read cannot ever be forgotten

A chilling and beautifully written novel that will strike dread into the heart of any new parent. The ending gave me goosebumps

A powerful debut about obsession and our deepest fears . . . will have you hooked

Exploring the dysfunctional lives of three generations of women, The Push deals with the way damage is handed down

A thought-provoking novel that delves deep into the emotional crevices of motherhood

Taut and gripping, this is a provocative look at motherhood

The Push is an unsettling and powerful read about obsession and our deepest fears that will stay with you long after you turn the final page

A gripping and vivid thriller . . . It's easy to understand why The Push has caught the attention of Hollywood film producers

Compelling

Remarkably told story which I couldn't put down. Deftly drawn characters...What a book! And the last line is creepy, haunting perfection

The danger that simmers throughout is so unbearably tense! A wonderful incisive look at maternal guilt ... the effect is staggering

Fasten your seatbelt because this book is a face paced, page turning, psychological drama that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last line

Challenges the idyllic picture of motherhood, and will change what you know about being a mother. It is tenacious and really makes you think about what it's like when women aren't taken seriously

For fans of mum noir, The Push is an unsettling, breathtaking and powerful read about obsession and our deepest fears that will stay with you long after you turn the final page

This dark, psychological thriller offers such twists and turns that we start to doubt what we believe . . . And that sharp-intake-of-breath ending!

I didn't sleep for a week after I finished it, but that's a small price to pay for a great book

An unflinching examination of motherhood. Audrain lets no one in the Connor family off the hook, yet every character managed to elicit my sympathy. Brilliant, insightful, compassionate, and horrifying. I wish I could read it for the first time over and over. One of the best books I've read all year

One of the most talked-about books of the year. This nuanced psychological book will make you question the notion of nature vs nurture. Disturbing, painful and brilliant

This unsettling debut was so riveting it had me devouring pages and then reading slowly with widened eyes

Addictively readable . . . shines a disturbing light into the darkest recesses of motherhood

Compulsively readable

An unsettling, breathtaking and powerful read about obsession and our deepest fears that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

A raw and visceral exploration of a mother-daughter relationship; a haunting and heartbreaking novel that will leave you thinking about it for days after you finish the last page