'Kelman portrays his world with bleakly beautiful honesty . . . a fine collection and an excellent window on Kelman's brooding world'
The Times
'Perhaps you don't know the Man Booker International-shortlisted James Kelman but you should. You only have to read one phrase to recognise his utterly distinctive voice: lyrical, philosophical as a pub stool resident and steeped in the street. The result, for those who take words seriously, is canonical and pure joy'
Metro
'The musings on men and women, and on the difficulty of connecting with other people, ring touchingly true. Kelman still has the power to compel'
Sunday Telegraph
'As well as being a keen observer of society's underclasses and disenfranchised, Kelman also has a great eye for the absurdity of everyday life, something which comes to the fore in this collection'
Independent on Sunday
'A collection by turns heart-breaking, profound and bitterly funny. It is a tour de force from a writer who treats language as carefully as if it were gold, and ends up turning it into something even more precious'
Herald
