Incisive ... Written in wry, sometimes repetitive prose ... It is some measure of Connolly’s skill that we retain sympathy for her flawed, messy heroine.
Complex and authentic ... Good fiction needs ordinary detail to contrast the dynamic, but the balance here is a little off ... In its best moments, of which there are many, Lazy City transcends these issues by its clear-eyed chronicling of human impulses.
Erin is a compelling narrator whose few, well-earned moments of self-discovery and exuberance bring life to the narrative. But the emphasis on quotidian details—drinks consumed, drugs taken, routines followed—coupled with an over-reliance on Erin’s often underdeveloped introspection means that the novel never quite reaches its emotional potential, and Erin’s thorny relationships with her mother, Mikey, Matt, and herself often lack satisfyingly deep interrogation. Excels in its measured and realistic portrait of grief but struggles to develop into a propulsive narrative.
Perceptive ... While the story is slow-moving and a bit unresolved, Connolly draws the reader along by making each well-honed scene reverberate with emotion. This thoughtful character portrait is worth a look.
