A whole swathe of poor and underprivileged America is evoked by one of the country's most rarified stylists

One of the most important novels of our time.. Read it and be ennobled

Splendid...it is rough, it is elegant, it is pure. It is also indispensable, if you earnestly desire to know what is happening to the human soul in the USA.

One of our truly fine writers...Moving and excellent

Compelling

There is so much in this book, so much hinted at and alluded to. So much going on off-screen. [...] One of the literary finds of the year

A beautiful evocation of the reckless naïveté of the early years of adulthood. [Helle Helle's] pared back style gives the novel a haunting quality, exquisitely reflecting the detachment and doubts of the protagonist's life. […] This is a highly recommended introduction to the work of a talented new name on the European literary scene

Helle Helle is a star in her native Denmark but hasn’t been translated into English until now – on this evidence she’s worth the wait

I found myself utterly mesmerised by this little novel about the seemingly commonplace. It’s stark minimalism is beguiling

Helle Helle is a beautiful stylist. This Should Be Written in the Present Tense has an atmosphere that is deeply mysterious whilst staying entirely naturalistic – reminiscent of some of the less far out works of Marguerite Duras or Anna Kavan

It would be easy to dismiss this as a novel where nothing happens. Yet anyone can relate to Dorte’s purposelessness: “I didn’t know what to do with myself, or how to go on.” Ultimately, though, it’s a hopeful story: a reminder that it’s never too late to change

A curious and compelling read

An odd but intriguing piece of work

Helle Helle is a real talent and This Should be Written in the Present Tense is one of the literary finds of the year

Very arty, and strangely uplifting

Hilarious, loving and deadly serious

Some pieces of literature, no matter how great an effort you make as a critic, cannot be opened or captured in a way that does justice to the work. That’s how I feel about Helle Helle’s new and unusually precious novel... Most of the sentences are small works of art, containing a whole story in themselves

This Should be Written in the Present Tense is an excellent novel, yet another sleek and nonchalant masterpiece from Helle Helle

Helle Helle has written a captivating novel about Dorte Hansen, who sleepwalks through life, letting chance rule

A beautiful tale examining the processes of life

Eschewing a conventional narrative, this absorbing novel deceptively contains a crackling energy within its understated, artful prose