PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewThere are moments when Leyla’s analyses can border on the self-serious ... At its most compelling, though, Leyla’s voice is wry and reflective, curious about her own ambivalences. Koca especially shines when illuminating \'women’s pain\' ... The narrative force in The Applicant comes not primarily from Leyla’s precarious status under the Fiktionsbescheinigung, or even her impending choice between the inconstant life of an artist and the stability offered by her lover. It comes from a quieter uncertainty.
