An extremely atmospheric book in a hazy, raw and entirely realistic sense.... Galgut's story suggests that such points on the map, despite their ghostly quiet, are seething with repressed violence, ready to explode.... A compelling read about guilt and evasion of truth

In a bleak morality tale about a fugitive from justice, Galgut again demonstrates his flair for charting the vicissitudes of human despair in modern-day South Africa

An...uncompromising journey into the heart of South Africa's darkness, written in prose that is at once stark and striking. The Quarry is Galgut's homage to Dostoevsky

A remarkable achievement...Galgut's prose has a spare beauty, suggesting volcanic emotions held rigorously in check

This taut existential thriller...divulges little but manages to suggest volumes... Stark, almost brutal minimalism

The Quarry has [a] dry, feral quality... Galgut's landscape reminds a reader of Breyten Breytenbach's South Africa...roads leading to some vanishing point, the feeling of pursuit... The issues of guilt, injustice and redemption give the novel a biblical feel. The writing shines in its peripheral vision, in the backdrops and corners of its scenes

One of South Africa's great literary voices

[Galgut's] prose feels as if it's been fired through a crucible, burning away all the comfortable excess until only a hard, concentrated purity remains.... There are thrilling images here, powerful themes and almost scarily precise writing... Galgut is at the leading edge of what is turning out to be a brilliant documentation of South Africa's post-apartheid transition

Beautifully written

A minimalist, almost allegorical story... Its tension is almost unbearable

[A] spare, intense story of rural South Africa... His clear, elemental prose is never generic

The scenes of township, quarry and shorescape have a strange, Beckett-like glow and menace

We not only read the narrative, but seem to be participating in the headlong rush of events.... A minor masterpiece. The Quarry is told in clear prose where every word counts and the plot and characters are utterly compelling

A slim, haunting work of poignancy and near perfection

Galgut writes here with a combination of JM Coetzee's uncluttered simplicity - every sentence stands out, and so seems pregnant with meaning - and Cormac McCarthy's rhythmic biblical dread

A poignant coming-of-age story

A surreal, engrossing meditation on loneliness, womanhood, and what it actually means to have a work-life balance.

Takes office toxicity and how we cope to new heights.

I found myself completely captivated by this novel's unusual and inviting premise and all that it questions and stirs up.

I loved it. It's incredible. Diary of a Void is joyful, exuberant, and triumphant. It made my heart sing.

Filled with sly humor and touching intimacy, Diary of a Void builds from its revolutionary premise into a powerfully resonant story of longing and defiance. An absolutely thrilling read - I didn't want to put it down.

In this fictional diary of a pregnant woman, it is the real, rather than the made-up, aspects of society, such as single parenting and discrimination against women in the workplace, that are powerfully depicted.

Yagi artfully blurs the boundary between truth and lies with this riotous solution to women's workplace challenges.

[A] penetrating look at working life and gender expectations... In a tone perfectly modulated in Boyd and North's translation, Shibata's dry observations and choices are both relatable and humorous...At the heart of the story is Yagi's wry and witty consideration of how one woman, tangled up in a web of deceit, struggles to live a meaningful life through work and her relationships with others.

Charming and funny