Forster's tightly-focused, first-person narrative is utterly compelling and painfully convincing

Forster's first person account of Lou's emotional exhaustion, her bleached anger at the ruthless egotism of her husband's grief, and her inability to discern the same essential failing in her own bitter self protectiveness is an impressive feat of observation and imagination

Forster's scrupulous inspection of the clammy and repressive intricacies of domestic life is, as in so much of her discomforting fiction, a serious pleasure to read

Superb... Forster understands the power of that left unsaid... an ordinary woman's story is made heroic by a writer's art

Over is a relentless, exacting novel that pushes into the heart of grief and suggests some narrow routes to recovery

Margaret Forster once again proves her ability to get under the skin of her characters

Over is a gripping page-turner... a hauntingly rewarding read

Each sentence is sculpted to perfection. Like so many of Forster's novels, it leaves behind a sense of something both absent and profound

One of the most impressive aspects of The Fates Will Find Their Way is how it summons up the elements of a suburban youth...Deeply felt...At its core it's about how children become adults.

Thirwell's novel elegantly portrays the ageing Haffner's thrilling attempts to escape from lovers, the mafia, his family and himself

The writing is polished and full of allusions