PositiveThe GuardianRyan...has rightly been praised for his gift for empathy. He is also a writer of beauty and precision. But Farouk’s monologue is this novel’s weakest link: his story will feel tragically familiar to anyone who has read the news over the past seven years—the character is somehow not particular or idiosyncratic enough to really come alive ... In contrast, those who narrate the subsequent sections of the book have their own pulse ... The author resists making any connection between the three stories until the final section—a daring decision, as by this time it feels almost impossible that the book will come together. But it does, in a conclusion that is both deft and devastating. Several secondary characters chip in with short narratives, which reveal how closely Farouk, Lampy and John’s three lives are intertwined. It becomes clear that this book is both hard-hitting and uplifting: it serves as an indictment of the care industry, but also a tribute to the way humans care for one another.
