PositiveThe Guardian (UK)Dusapin assembles her themes: absence and abandonment, cultural history and identity, belonging and otherness, language and connection ... Dusapin, 29, is developing a distinctive style with signature motifs that interconnect her work. Fragmentation, recurring imagery and a flair for evoking atmosphere so effective that lassitude seems to seep through the pages recalls Deborah Levy’s writing ... Pathos infuses the novel, as Claire feels worlds apart from her grandparents, witnessing the insularity and disorientation of old age ... If you’ve read Dusapin’s debut, the shape and mood will feel a little too familiar. Nonetheless, this is a masterclass in narrative control and subtlety, exemplified by the currents eddying beneath the surface of relationships and Claire’s dawning understanding of the scars left by her grandparents’ pasts. Dusapin is clearly an exceptional writer – sharply focused, delicate – but she could shake things up next time.
