Not only does Bliss' illicit relationship with Garrick tantalize, but seeing Bliss figure out her life and grow into herself is entertaining and inspiring

This is a beautiful story, told in the kind of sentences Edward Hopper might have written if he had been as good at writing as he was at painting. Darkly romantic, wholly evocative of its forties Virginia setting. He conjures up small town darkness wonderfully. Quite stunning. Read it now.

Robert Goolrick has a warm and easy way with words … He’s crafted a wily novel about place as well as passion, and as you turn the last page, you’ll feel like you’re leaving a tiny piece of your heart in Brownsburg.

Deliciously dark and dangerous

Written with a beautiful sense of compassion Goolrick provides an excellent portrayal of the town’s inherent separation, tradition and frustration … A novel of dreams versus reality, secrets and lies, this is a story of just how far someone can go when they are in love … A terrific read with elements of both The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until its shocking finale.

You just have to know what happens

A beautiful backdrop … A devastating love story. This book is expert at pulling at the heartstrings, but in an unsentimental way … It’s difficult to come away with a copy of Heading Out To Wonderful that’s not full of underlined phrases and turned-down pages. There is a phenomenal skill in Goolrick’s writing, right from the start. A book worth savouring, re-reading and lending to everyone you know.

A seductive, slow-burning drama of epic place and operatic passion. Wonderful.

A beautiful novel with a tangible sense of place and time … It made me hold my breath wondering what would develop … [A] beguiling and devastating novel that provokes feelings of deep joy and sadness.

A writer with a big heart and a deft hand for drama.

Goolrick’s tale of doomed love resonates like a folk ballad... the narrative builds slowly to its violent climax, packs an emotional punch, and then haunts [its] readers

Beautifully written... Rich, evocative… passionate and tragic

A mesmerizing gothic tale of a good man gone wrong ... Finely crafted fiction from a captivating writer

Elegantly written, funny, self-aware

Beautifully written and wonderfully evocative

You'll love this book… A haunting love story that brings hope humanity can survive just about anything – even death

Mr. Wallace proves with this first novel that you can open the fridge and make something new…

A remarkable debut

Delicate and imaginative . . . beautifully written . . . deserves every single bit of its success

Like a lighthouse, [The Light Between Oceans] shines a light in dark places, and its emotional resonance will stay with you for days

A thought-provoking debut novel . . . this beautifully delineated tale of love and loss, right and wrong, and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear to us, is moving without being maudlin

clever, funny and razor-sharp

thoughtful and ambitious

Excellent and astutely observed