The most influential and admired novelist of his generation in the Spanish-speaking world

This may be the most haunting and mesmerising collection I have ever read

A book full of insight for writers and aficionados of South American literature and culture

It is a shame that Bolaño has no more evenings on earth, his unique voice asserting the importance and exuberance of literature will be sorely missed

Bolaño's language, alert and always graceful, his way of constructing narratives that are simultaneously disconcerting, brilliant and infinitely immediate, is a form of resisting evil, adversity and mediocrity

Effortless charm, wit and vivid sexual detail

This is Simpson's real charm - that she believes in love... Her heady sense of almost physical joy

Russell’s storytelling, fusing realistic and fantastic elements, is imaginative and beautifully crafted

Wildly fun and full of suspense

These stories will win her yet more fans, and offer typically colourful, off-the-wall entertainment

Karen Russell’s second collection feels completely fresh… The writing is spot-on throughout, with rich world-building and fleshed out characters

Russell's descriptions are well thought out, and she heightens all of the senses, often bringing taste, touch, sight and smell into her stories

Hilarious... Dazzling... Exhilarating

A joy of a collection

What makes Russell's writing a cut above the rest is her fresh and inventive prose... Even [her] less effective narratives are hard to forget

Loneliness and mortality have never had such a fun twist

As subtle as the colour of Kitsune's silk

Russell is an amazing storyteller, and this book certainly whets the appetite for her next offering

‘[Barrett] cuts across all kinds of boundaries of class and education to produce immensely tender portraits of living characters.

This is an exceptional debut, and one of the best collection of short stories that I have read in years.

An exciting debut

I don’t think I’ve ever read a better collection by somebody I had never heard of

A technically-assured collection that never disappoints