A debut novel at once lyrical and gritty, offering an unsentimental view of the African immigrant experience in London's Brixton

It's the darkest of comedies, fuelled by an eccentric, wholly convincing voice

An hilarious and wrenching examination of immigrant life... From a prodigiously talented and uncompromising writer

Chikwava has created an utterly compelling anti-hero... Mesmerising

A writer to watch. Brian Chikwava's language is lively and witty and it turns the London you know upside down

Page by page, line by line, Brian has created a perfectly original and true narrative voice. ..Full of surprises, delicious little tics, and real fire-in-the-belly creativity ..but importantly, the voice comes off as effortless, and therefore true....it's a major accomplishment

Chikwava's sharp irreverent levity...Harare North's wit and suggestiveness'

a shocking indictment of the way we treat those who come here seeking a better life

Chikwava looks to have few problems hooking the reader

Chikwava gives his anti-hero an unforgettable voice; a fine balance between tragedy and comedy

Chikwava's unreliable narrator is animated with an unforgettable voice in this poetic and tragicomic tale

Hilarious and terrifying

It's a wry delight

This fantastically energetic debut offers a dark, funny vision of the underbelly of London populated by illegal immigrants...Harare North's politics are subversive and cynical and Brian Chikwava's sharp style draws attention to the meanings not just behind the euphemisms that cloak human tragedy under Mugabe's regime but the hypocrisies found in England's capital

Chikwava has a distinctive style, a complex mix of grit and humour with a voice that is persuasive enough to unsettle the reader and force them to uncomfortably inhabit 'the other' and (somewhat guiltily) reassess certain assumptions

The narrator is an astute observer of London immigrant life. Chickwava can be funny as well, finding humour in the worst situations

The comedy ranges from wry to very earthy, while the strikingly poetic use of African-derived imagery gives the novel much more than just a 'generic immigrant' feel... Harare North was a joy to read and comes highly recommenced for all in search of original voices in modern fiction

This is a highly accomplished first novel. Evie Wyld is not a show off writer. She has a clean, clear prose style which is exactly right in the service if her story, and the best ear for dialogue in a long time.

Wyld's debut novel dissects the misery that seeps inexorably from one generation to the next

Wyld can write very well, in a vivid descriptive style reminiscent of Tim Winton's.

Wyld's superb skills at portraying a hot, dusty landscape and her psychological insight will pull you inexorably in.

Superb assured first novel about fathers and sons. Pitch-perfect prose

A very impressive first novel. Wise and wry, it uses its Australian bush setting to great effect, Wyld's protagonists fleeing there from wars, both literal and familial. She writes great characters and makes you love them as she nails them.

This is a sad yet beautiful story of fathers and sons, their wars and the things they will never know about each other