Eames conveys a strong sense of political turmoil enflamed by sinister witch doctors, brutal guerilla factions and superstitious misogyny…compelling.

An extraordinarily drawn tale.

Eames is a lovely writer

One of the most beautifully written, sad, magical yet clear-eyed novels I've read by any author for many years

The book blends folklore and superstition perfectly with accessible language, relatable characters, believable dialogue and a fast-paced, well-structured plot...yet another powerful piece of writing.

Atmospheric...Eames is a writer who injects even the grimmest if scenarios with an overarching tenderness

Combining folklore with politics and plenty of heartwrenching moments, Eames offers beautiful and sympathetic descriptions of the world she creates without losing sight of the tragedies in her character's lives

Sincere, resolute

This extraordinary and quite brilliant first novel describes a life that is bumping along the very bottom...The writing is wonderfully inventive, encompassing grim reality and wild, romantic fantasy, and the true magic lies in the way the author manages to present the fragments as a funny, charming, beautiful whole

Remarkable story

The most original book I have read for quite a long time

Riverting ... both disturbing and entertaining, with twisted low-life chracters rivalling any created by Martin Amis or Nicola Barker

Sounds like a must-read

Utterly remarkable…sad in its depth, but delightful on the shimmering surface… It might only be February, but there's going to need to be some strong competition in the months to come if this doesn't end up being my book of the year

A wonderful survivor’s story… It’s excellent

The Innocents has garnered her a next-Zadie-Smith style buzz.

Segal writes with delicacy, accumulating details that create the texture of Adam and Rachel’s world… Adam is well drawn and not unsympathetic, and Segal has skillfully created a cast of secondary characters, including Ziva, a survivor of the Holocaust.

It takes chutzpah to appropriate such a well-loved classic but Segal parallels the two convention-bound worlds with aplomb… [a] classily composed comedy of manners

Impresive debut…a poised text

Wittily observant

Hugely enjoyable first novel... The end result falls somewhere between Charlotte Mendelson's When We Were Bad (about a matriarchal Jewish rabbi) and David Nicholl's One Day (with its theme of mismatched love) and is all the more pleasing for that

Elegant little novel and a real delight to read