An extraordinarily humane work…I Refuse will lodge in the heart and remain there

An exquisite story of a friendship formed and lost in a twist of fate

A poignant novel about the bonds forged and broken between friends and family members

A poignant, melancholic novel about the bonds forged and broken between friends and family members

Relentless, often shocking, but always satisfying

Relentless, often shocking, but always satisfying…telling each man’s story with brutal honesty and poignantly reinforcing a sense of existential malaise

The suspense isn't in the plot but in the prose, with its extraordinary looping sentences

Petterson’s signature technique lies in drawing the most zigzag line imaginable through narrative chronology but the effect is not of confusion, rather of a dense, layered complexity: it is the realist novel form’s mimetic faithfulness to life itself

A strenuous examination of how grief reverberates down the decades

A moving story of a group of lost souls, all struggling to make sense of their existence and exert some control over their lives

A brilliant study of memory, poetic in its juxtaposition of the vague with the precise, and of the ordinary with the life-defining

There is such elegant subtlety to this story

The Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano claims to have written a version of the same novel throughout his career; in a sense so has Petterson, but his anguished precision is such that no one should complain

Illuminated by a clear and insightful knowledge of what it means to be human... Petterson is really a masterful depictor of contemporary life

I Refuse is, despite its apparent realism, a nearly magical literary experience... It simply does not get much better than this

Petterson confirms his reputation as Scandinavia's leading realist writer...the heart-rending contrast between power and powerlessness, silence and speech is anchored in every word in these pages. And in the reader’s soul

A masterpiece...at least as good as Out Stealing Horses... Intimate, shocking, demanding, raw

Norwegian literature's clearest shining star...a masterful novel about friendship, violence and destruction

A moving, complex short novel that is richer and more satisfying than most books several times its length

The suspense isn’t in the plot but the prose, with its extraordinary looping sentences

A harrowing account of childhood, of friendship, and of family disruption… Precise, scrupulous and emotionally intense… Peterson is a skilled storyteller… An admirable and honest novel.

Jonathan Coe has taken aim at the absurdity of modern life

Looks as if it might be the most propulsive New York novel since Bonfire of the Vanities.

His New York City is ablaze, with fireworks, trashcan infernos and the burning Bronx.

A fantastic achievement; mesmerising, addictive in a way that a book this long really shouldn’t be, and full of intrigue. Hallberg’s writing is clear, insightful, and accessible; for all that it runs to almost 1,000 pages, each sentence has been crafted just so.

An epic of New York…a kind of punk Bleak House.

This magnificent first novel is full to bursting with plot, character, and emotion, all set within the exquisitely grungy 1970s New York City...Graceful in execution, hugely entertaining, and most concerned with the longing for connection, a theme that reaches full realization during the blackout of 1977, this epic is both a compelling mystery and a literary tour de force.

The very-damn-good American novel.

A vivid immersive novel.

Clocks in at a cool 944 pages, but we breezed through it in no time. It’s the story of a shooting in Central Park and its effect on ‘70s New York – the city’s scuzzy, punky peak.

Glitzy, gritty storytelling.

An outstanding novel… what an accomplishment.

Ambitious and assured – and stunningly good.

An American epic…But don’t wait for the movie. There’s writing here that’s too good to miss.

The biggest and boldest novel of this generation

Approach as you would a box set or a Shirley Conran novel - in stages. It's glitzy, gritty storytelling that is worth sticking with.

A fantastic achievement; mesmerising, addictive in a way that a book this long really shouldn't be, and full of intrigue. Hallberg's writing is clear, insightful, and accessible; for all that it runs to almost 1,000 pages, each sentence has been crafted just so.

This year’s most exciting fiction debut is a wild ride through the grimy, glorious city of the 1970s...a book that is truly that great, rare thing: a wholly inhabitable universe, reflecting back our lives while also offering an exhilarating escape from them

Expert storytelling, lyricism and authenticity…Fans of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch: you’re going to love this book

The hype is justified: this is the year’s must-read book

A gripping, atmospheric and authentic take on the decade when the Big Apple seemed almost rotten to the core

For almost a thousand pages, he swirls around a single tragedy — the shooting of a college student in Central Park — sweeping up tangential characters and making every one of them thrum with real life until the lightning strikes, the electric grid overloads and the city goes mad on that dark summer night in 1977.

The grit of the city provides an equal lure. As garbage blows, graffiti scrawls, and street fashions strut through Vinyl and City on Fire, who wouldn't swoon?

A vast cast of characters and intricate sub-plots, City on Fire has been compared to everything from Bleak House to the early work of Jonathan Franzen. Not to mention nods to Don DeLillo and Tom Wolfe.

Despite being a debut, it shows a technical maturity matched to a playful, sexy wit… A thriller, albeit an extremely clever and stylish one.

Imaginative debut… His eyes for the tiny things that make up life suggests better is to come.

This is one of those enormous books that might, if you’re luck, grab you and keep hold for days and days.