PositiveTimes Literary Supplement (UK)It’s rare to see an author having as much fun as Madeline Cash seems to have had writing her zany debut novel, Lost Lambs. It’s difficult to resist the quirky charm of that buoyant energy, even when sometimes there isn’t much meaning behind all the hot air ... A comic, maximalist novel, and it stands out in a sea of minimalist tragedies ... The insistent light-heartedness of the whole story makes the stakes feel low. Every crisis, both familial and criminal, is resolved with an implausibly wrapped bow. Narrative logic and depth of character are not Cash’s strengths, but she shines at the level of dialogue and deadpan description.
PositiveTimes Literary Supplement (UK)Though Sara is remarkably self-assured in the face of...injustice, the most insightful parts of her narration are when she inevitably wavers ... Despite the novel’s circularity as it strains toward resolution, it’s the terrifying nature of a society guided by an algorithm, and the struggle to resist its control, that sustains the pulse.
Christopher Bollen
PositiveTimes Literary Supplement (UK)The author excels at ratcheting up Maggie’s unreliability until her suit of armour falls apart in dramatic, if hastily sketched, fashion. A few too many unanswered questions remain, but it is easy to forgive these omissions while revelling in such a distinctively deluded character.
