‘The writing, which is clever, witty and ambitious throughout, becomes shot through with a wonderfully oneiric unpredictability. Nath can entertain with a whole page on different interpretations of what is meant by “a while”, and many of his similes and observations are original, funny and absolutely spot-on.’ – The Independent
‘… the writing is the star of the show; Nath has a distinctive style that blends a lyrical and yet chatty stream of consciousness with flashes of magic realism. A curious and original aspect to the novel is that Mark is of mixed race and yet, in defiance of current literary trends, absolutely nothing is made of this. The struggle to be heroically masculine in the modern world is the novel’s overriding theme, and Mark and Ian are amusing and depressingly recognisable portraits of ungallant metropolitan men.’ – The Spectator
‘… a wonderfully intriguing novel… Nath sets the book in London during 2004 and gives a stark sense of life under New Labour’s middling years as he describes a generation of surplus university graduates who have to take what life gives them and lack the material ambitions of promotion and property… His descriptive powers give the novel a wonderful realism, his protagonist inhaling his Rothman’s ‘like a hoover’ as Ian tries to justify his past infidelities over another pint in their favourite pub. Fortunately, the author also has the wherewithal and wit to sustain this tale to its entertaining conclusion.’ – The Big Issue in the North
‘La Rochelle makes all other literary fiction seem so polite!’ – Leigh Wilson
‘This inspired and unpredictable debut novel impressed me with its infectious use of recollection and regret.’ – Hull Daily Mail
‘Stylish, very funny, discreetly surprising, this remarkable novel reads at times like a fable of England under New Labour, where nothing is quite what it seems and not much is worth what it costs. But it’s not a fable. It’s the subtle, semi-sad story of a lost man, who has wit enough to have found himself several times over if he had really been looking.’ – Michael Wood
‘Jules et Jim with a postmodern twist. Nath has a confidence and attitude that rocks you on every page.’ – Daisy Goodwin
