Brutal reality and hallucination, comedy and pathos. A rich, unified tapestry

John Irving, it is abundantly clear, is a true artist. He is not afraid to take on great themes

John Irving has been compared with Kurt Vonnegut and J. D. Salinger, but is arguably more inventive than either

Three or four times as funny as most novels

A magical and at times sinister story about love, loss, secrets and forgiveness...with Chocolat-type charm

If you're looking for a book to take you by surprise, Salley Vickers' latest is the perfect choice

With its subtle combination of explorations of faith and love, The Cleaner of Chartres is something of a return to the terrain of Vickers's first novel, Miss Garnet's Angel. Certainly, it's another gem

Surprisingly tender, highly inappropriate . . . Lamb is difficult and beautiful, and though it may not be normal, it feels incredibly real.

Only an immensely promising young writer could bestow such grace on such troubled characters.

An unsettling and challenging read.

A disturbing and elusive novel about manipulation and desperate friendship.

Nadzam has a crisp, fluid writing style, and her dialogue is reminiscent of Sam Shepard's . . . it's a fine first effort: storytelling as accomplished as it is unsettling.

Craig Silvey's Rhubarb was one of my favourite Australian novels of 2004 and heralded a major new voice in Australian literary fiction. His next offering in Jasper Jones is another beautifully constructed book with a page-turning narrative and outrageously good dialogue.

A wonderful novel, rich and sombre, a record of pain and less but also of moments of vision and tenderness... flawless

This short-but-striking novel quickly reveals itself to be…crime fiction, yes, but also a subtle and deeply introspective consideration of the inertia of lonely middle-age, its philosophy existentialist in the manner of Jean Paul Sartre, Ingmar Bergman and certain novels of Georges Simenon. The result is a highly complex and accomplished work

Intriguing tale… Solstad expertly navigates the bizarre mind of a clever but lonely man locked in an existentialist nightmare

This is no straightforward crime novel…an exploration of guilt, inaction and moral quandaries