A. L. Kennedy is one of the most brilliant writers of her generation

This woman is a profound writer

A collection of fifteen exquisite and troubling tales... It is a particular delight to discover a writer as original as A. L. Kennedy

The clarity, wit and description of her style are uplifting... A writer in her thirties, who is becoming one of Britain's best

A writer of linguistic brilliance, balm-bearing humanity and blissful originality

Kennedy writes with flaying precision about things we won't often admit to ourselves, let alone speak aloud

KNOCKEMSTIFF by Donald Ray Pollock is the best book I have ever read. This is the America they don't let you see on television. This is real literature. It will be read for centuries

It's as if you put David Lynch, Denis Johnson, and a drunk speed freak body builder into a blender. The result are some of the darkest, wildest, most messed up, hilarious stories I've ever read. Knockemstiff is really something

This short story collection gives those new to her oeuvre a chance to delve into gems from her past...precociously vibrant