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Serious and literary fiction, General fiction
Human-narrated audio
The Nobel laureate presents a fictional memoir. Ma-chan, a twenty-year-old woman, records events while at home in Japan as her…
parents spend six months in California. Ma-chan is responsible for her older, retarded but musically gifted brother Eeyore, whom she dearly loves, and for her younger, more independent student brother. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language
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Serious and literary fiction
Human-narrated audio
An allegorical tale in which Azaro, a spirit-child living with a Nigerian family, chronicles the villagers' daily routines as they…
struggle to overcome poverty, famine, and entrenched political chicanery. Prequel to Songs of Enchantment (DB 46293). Some violence. Booker Prize
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Serious and literary fiction, General fiction, Suspense and thrillers
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
<p>A Bustle Best YA Book for August 2018 We Were Liars meets Goodbye Days in this thrilling debut novel that…
sweeps readers away as they try to solve the mystery of what happened then to make Ellory so broken now. <p>It’s hard to find the truth beneath the lies you tell yourself. Then: They were four—Bex, Jenni, Ellory, Ret. (Venus. Earth. Moon. Sun.) Electric, headstrong young women; Ellory’s whole solar system. Now: Ellory is alone, her once inseparable group of friends torn apart by secrets, deception, and a shocking incident that changed their lives forever. Then: Lazy summer days. A party. A beautiful boy. Ellory met Matthias and fell into the beginning of a spectacular, bright love. Now: Ellory returns to Pine Brook to navigate senior year after a two-month suspension and summer away—no boyfriend, no friends. No going back. <p>Tormented by some and sought out by others, troubled by a mysterious note-writer who won’t let Ellory forget, and consumed by guilt over her not entirely innocent role in everything and everyone she’s lost, Ellory finds that even in the present, the past is everywhere. The path forward isn’t a straight line. And moving on will mean sorting the truth from the lies—the lies Ellory has been telling herself.</p>
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Serious and literary fiction
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Even before its publication in 1991, American Psychocaptured the attention and imagination of readers. Now an acknowledged modern classic and…
a multimillion-copy bestseller, it continues to be one of the most talked-about books of all time. A film based on the novel, starring Christian Bale, was released in 2000. Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street; he is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to a head-on collision with America’s greatest dream – and its worst nightmare – American Psychois a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront. In 2012 Picador celebrates its 40th anniversary. During that time we have published many prize-winning and bestselling authors including Bret Easton Ellis and Cormac McCarthy, Alice Sebold and Helen Fielding, Graham Swift and Alan Hollinghurst. Years later, Picador continue to bring readers the very best contemporary fiction, non-fiction and poetry from across the globe. Discover more at picador. com/40
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General fiction, Serious and literary fiction
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A stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians about a young girl and the family truths…
that will haunt her for the rest of her life"A girl comes of age against the knife."So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit in the rural town of Breathed, Ohio, is one of poverty and violence--both from outside the family and, devastatingly, from within. The lush landscape, rich with birdsong, wild fruit, and blazing stars, becomes a kind of refuge for Betty, but when her family's darkest secrets are brought to light, she has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters.Despite the hardships she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters, and her father's brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all to which she bears witness, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write. She recounts the horrors of her family's past and present with pen and paper and buries them deep in the dirt--moments that have stung her so deeply she could not tell them, until now.Inspired by generations of her family, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by delivering this heartbreaking yet magical story--a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the most important voices in American fiction.
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General fiction, Family stories, Serious and literary fiction
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A &“furious and addictive new novel&” (The New York Times) about mothers and daughters, and one woman's midlife reckoning as…
she flees her suburban life, from the renowned author of Stone Arabia and Eat the Document&“An urgent, deeply moving, wholly original novel by one of the most wildly talented writers in America." —George SaundersOn the heels of the election of 2016, Samantha Raymond's life begins to come apart: her mother is ill, her teenage daughter is increasingly remote, and at fifty-two she finds herself staring into "the Mids"--that hour of supreme wakefulness between three and four in the morning in which women of a certain age suddenly find themselves contemplating motherhood, mortality, and, in this case, the state of our unraveling nation. When she falls in love with a beautiful, decrepit house in a hardscrabble neighborhood in Syracuse, she buys it on a whim and flees her suburban life--and her family--as she grapples with how to be a wife, a mother, and a daughter, in a country that is coming apart at the seams. Dana Spiotta's Wayward is a stunning novel about aging, about the female body, and about female difficulty--female complexity--in the age of Trump. Probing and provocative, brainy and sensual, it is a testament to our weird, off-kilter America, to reforms and resistance and utopian wishes, and to the beauty of ruins. Tremendous new work from one of the most gifted writers of her generation.
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Serious and literary fiction
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Set in Los Angeles in the early 1980's, this coolly mesmerizing novel is a raw, powerful portrait of a lost…
generation who have experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age, in a world shaped by casual nihilism, passivity, and too much money a place devoid of feeling or hope. Clay comes home for Christmas vacation from his Eastern college and re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where everyone drives Porches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs and also into the seamy world of L.A. after dark.
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Family stories, LGBTQ+ fiction, Serious and literary fiction
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From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about…
a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer. Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed. So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary--isn't solved with treats and jokes, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human. With the humor and heart we've come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.
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General fiction, Serious and literary fiction
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For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So…
in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. <P><P>Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens. <P><P>Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
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Short stories, Serious and literary fiction, Classic fiction, General fiction
Human-narrated audio
Twenty of Kafka's longer stories make up most of this collection, followed by fifty-five short stories and sketches. Included are…
all the stories published during his lifetime (1883-1924) and several others selected from his literary estate
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Historical fiction, Serious and literary fictionLiterature biography
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«No pedía mucho, carajo, sólo que lo dejaran prostituirse a su modo.» Novela ganadora del Premio Xavier Villaurrutia 2019. "El…
asunto histórico corresponde a tiempos próximos al nuestro, transformados en su novela en materia literaria gracias al brío de su discurso narrativo, la verosimilitud de personajes y situaciones, la velocidad de su prosa y su empeño en no dejar nada al azar, en atar todos los cabos. Serna obliga al lector a acompañarlo en cada una de sus acciones y a vivirlas con él." El jurado del Premio Xavier Villaurrutia. A mediados del siglo XX, Carlos Denegri era el líder de opinión más influyente de México. Reportero estrella del diario Excélsior, tenía una red de contactos internacionales envidiada por todos los periodistas. Mimado por el poder, como columnista político sobresalió por su falta de escrúpulos, al grado de que Julio Scherer lo llamó "el mejor y el más vil de los reporteros". Industrializó el "chayote" cuando esa palabra todavía no se usaba en la jerga política. En su Fichero Político, donde fungía como vocero extraoficial de la Presidencia y cobraba todas las menciones, podía difamar a cualquiera con impunidad absoluta. Según Carlos Monsiváis, un coscorrón en esa columna representaba "una temporada en el infierno" para cualquier aspirante a un cargo público. Aunque ganaba millones por publicar alabanzas, se hizo más rico aún por medio de la extorsión, callándose lo que sabía de sus poderosos clientes. La personalidad pública de Carlos Denegri es indisociable de las atroces vejaciones misóginas que cometió en su vida privada. Era tan prepotente y déspota en el trato con las mujeres como en el periodismo, de modo que su patología fue a la vez íntima y social. Radiografía del machismo a la mexicana y epitafio de la dictadura perfecta, esta novela es un estudio de carácter incisivo y mordaz, sustentado en un arduo trabajo de investigación, que por momentos linda con la farsa trágica. Enrique Serna vuelve a una de sus vetas narrativas predilectas, la reconstrucción del pasado, para entregarnos un fresco histórico apasionante. La crítica ha dicho: «Es una importante aportación a la historia y la literatura contemporáneas de México, salida de la pluma -o la laptop- de un autor caracterizado por su implacable ironía y su valiente voluntad estilística, virtudes que lo convierten en uno de los narradores imprescindibles de nuestro tiempo.» El jurado del Premio Xavier Villaurrutia 2019 «El arte de Serna consiste en una serie de procedimientos encaminados a hacernos más persuasiva la ilusión realista -esa que sólo puede darse en la mejor literatura-, a comunicar al lector la sensación de estar directamente enfrentado con la vida.» Ignacio Solares «En sus novelas y cuentos descubrimos un arte consumado de la sorpresa, una ferocidad no exenta de gracia y un sentido del sarcasmo que nunca se rebaja a la mera caricatura.» Claude Fell «Quien se acerca a las narraciones de Enrique Serna ríe mucho durante la lectura y al llegar al punto final un ligero malestar lo hace quedarse un tiempo pensativo, como si se reconociera de pronto en el patetismo de los personajes.» Eduardo Antonio Parra «Reconozco en Serna el entendimiento profundo, casi quisquilloso, que consiste en poner el archivo al servicio de la ficción y no ejercer ni de amanuense erudito ni de mero coleccionista de avisos y extravagancias.» Christopher Domínguez
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Serious and literary fiction, Suspense and thrillers
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A dark and devious literary suspense novel about a random encounter, sex, and a conversation that quickly turns to murder--a…
modern reimagining of Patricia Highsmith's classic Strangers on a Train--from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a HeartOn a late flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Over one too many martinis, the two strangers play a game, one in which they begin revealing more and more intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his wife, Miranda--how his marriage has gone stale, how a week ago he caught her in a serious betrayal. . . . Maybe they were a mismatch from the start, he the rich businessman, she the beautiful artist. But what begins as playful banter between Ted and Lily takes a swift turn when Ted claims, half-seriously, that he would like to kill his wife for what she's done. Then Lily surprises him by saying that she'd like to help. After all, everyone dies, what difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than life intended?Back in Boston, Ted and Lily forge an unusual bond and talk about the ways Ted might get out of his marriage. But Lily has her own dark history she's not sharing with Ted, a legacy of murder that stems from childhood. And Ted is keeping something from Lily as well--so as they move their plan forward, his motivation becomes less about getting Miranda out of his life and more about getting Lily into it. But as Ted begins to fall in love with Lily, he grows anxious about any unseen holes in their scheme that could give them away. And suddenly the two are pulled into a very lethal game of cat and mouse, one in which there may be more than one loser and more than one of them left dead when it's all over.
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Serious and literary fiction, Short stories
Human-narrated audio
Nine stories by the award-winning Mexican author are tied together by the title reference to the border between Mexico and…
the United States. Fuentes explores the cultural and economic differences between the Hispanics and the Anglos where they intermingle geographically. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language
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Fantasy, Serious and literary fiction
Human-narrated audio
After the destruction of the Forest House, Caillean brings ten-year-old Gawen to Avalon, where he is greeted by the Lady…
of the Fairy Folk as the "Son of a Hundred Kings." The Lady's daughter, Sianna, plays an important role in Gawen's future. Sequel to The Forest House (DB 39356). Some violence and some descriptions of sex
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Ghost and horror stories, Serious and literary fiction, Fantasy
Human-narrated audio
Although Winter Musgrave remembers that she was a successful trader on Wall Street and that she discharged herself from a…
mental hospital, she can't fill in the blanks. Dead animals appear at her door and objects near her self-destruct. Winter seeks help at a psychic research center to regain her memory and confront what is pursuing her
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LGBTQ+ fiction, Serious and literary fiction, General fiction
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
&“A modern coming-of-age full of love, desperation, heartache, and magic&” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author) about &“the ways in…
which family, grief, love, queerness, and vulnerability all intersect&” (Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author). Perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Thirty Names of Night. Though Owen Tanner has never met anyone else who has a chatty bird in their chest, medical forums would call him a Terror. From the moment Gail emerged between Owen&’s ribs, his mother knew that she had to hide him away from the world. After a decade spent in hiding, Owen takes a brazen trip outdoors in the middle of a forest fire, and his life is upended forever. Suddenly, Owen is forced to flee the home that had once felt so confining and hide in plain sight with his uncle and cousin in Washington. There, he feels the joy of finding a family among friends; of sharing the bird in his chest and being embraced fully; of falling in love and feeling the devastating heartbreak of rejection before finding a spark of happiness in the most unexpected place; of living his truth regardless of how hard the thieves of joy may try to tear him down. But the threat of the Army of Acronyms is a constant, looming presence, making Owen wonder if he&’ll ever find a way out of the cycle of fear. A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about the things that make us unique and lovable, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest grapples with the fear, depression, and feelings of isolation that come with believing that we will never be loved, let alone accepted, for who we truly are, and learning to live fully and openly regardless.
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Serious and literary fiction
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The reader of this rollicking novel, first published in 1962, accompanies forty-seven-year-old Professor Arnold Soby (regarded by his girl students…
as safe and acceptable, but also good fun) on a sabbatical voyage to Italy and Greece. Among Soby's shipboard companions are Miss Winifred Throop, retired head mistress of the Winnetka Country Day School; her companion and colleague, Miss Mathilde Kollwitz, teacher of French and German; and Miss Thropp's seventeen-year-old niece, Cynthia Pomeroy, beautiful, scatterbrained, and studiously vulgar. Standing off the challenges of Italian and Swiss rivals, Soby pursues Cynthia through the waterways and plazas of Venice, the hills of Corfu, the ruins of Athens, and aboard the tiny, rolling, pitching tub Hephaistos in Greek waters. As is characteristic of Wright Morris's fiction, the real story develops beneath the surface of the brilliantly entertaining narrative.
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General fiction, Serious and literary fiction, Romance
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
The awkward and lovable hero of Andrew Sean Greer's bestselling and prize-winning novel Less returns in this unforgettable road trip…
across America. 'Wildly, painfully funny' David Sedaris'Unforgettable' Elizabeth Day'The joyfulness of this book is a balm' Madeline Miller'What a joy' Katie KitamuraFor Arthur Less, life is going surprisingly well: he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts: the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a zigzagging adventure across the US.Less roves across the 'Mild Mild West', through the South and to his mid-Atlantic birthplace, with an ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his trusty duo - a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina. He grows a handlebar mustache, ditches his signature gray suit, and disguises himself in the bolero-and-cowboy-hat costume of a true 'Unitedstatesian'... with varying levels of success, as he continues to be mistaken for either a Dutchman, the wrong writer, or, worst of all, a 'bad gay'.We cannot, however, escape ourselves - even across deserts, bayous, and coastlines. From his estranged father and strained relationship with Freddy, to the reckoning he experiences in confronting his privilege, Arthur Less must eventually face his personal demons. With all of the irrepressible wit and musicality that made Less a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read breakout book, Less Is Lost is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life, the riddle of love, and the stories we tell along the way.
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War stories, Serious and literary fiction, General fiction
Synthetic audio
La última revelación literaria de Alemania: «una grandísima novela» (Le Monde) que retrata el declive de una época y el…
advenimiento de una nueva era. En la línea de Las benévolas, de Jonathan Littell, La fábrica de canallas es una novela que excede todos los límites, un magnífico fresco histórico y familiar que retrata los años más sombríos del siglo XX. En 1974, en un hospital bávaro, Koja Solm, un anciano con una bala alojada en la cabeza, decide contarle su vida a su compañero de habitación, un joven hippie y pacifista. A través de episodios entrelazados, desde Riga a Tel Aviv, pasando por Auschwitz y París, La fábrica de canallas nos lleva a zonas donde la moral y la integridad son ultrajadas con violencia para contarnos cómo fue todo al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La crítica ha dicho...«Una obra maestra cautivadora. Un libro fascinante, de gran poder visual y emocionante. Extraordinario.»Focus «Como una serie: ritmo trepidante, giros argumentales y personajes intrigantes. ¡Genial!»Die Zeit «Manejada con una brillantez poco común, esta novela trata de una metamorfosis monstruosa, la que convierte a un hombre en nazi.»Transfuge «Excepcional. Una historia sensacional, magníficamente contada.»Neue Züricher Zeitung «Un gran escritor.»MDR «¡Sublime!»Madame «¡Una auténtica obra maestra!»Neon «Un retrato magistral de las profundidades morales de la política, el amor y la sociedad del siglo XX.»Donna «Un retrato excepcional de la pasada centuria.»Augsburger Allgemeine ¡Una trepidante saga familiar!»Hörzu «Un narrador nato.»Süddeustche Zeitung «Imprescindible.»Deustchlandradio Kultur «Una obra de arte.»Berliner Morgenpost «¡La mejor novela que he leído en los últimos años!»SWR «Se lee de un tirón.»Der Tagesspiegel «Una novela río que acarrea todas las sombras de la historia.»L'Express «Fresco histórico, relato de espías, fábula política; en este laberinto literario, uno se pierde con deleite.»Lire
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Serious and literary fiction
Synthetic audio
LA INCREÍBLE HISTORIA DEL HARRY POTTER FALLIDO VUELVE EL MEJOR FOENKINOS (MÁS DE TRES MILLONES DE LECTORES Y QUINCE PREMIOS…
LITERARIOS) CON UNA GENUINA NOVELA SOBRE EL ÉXITO Y EL FRACASO, EN LAS LISTAS DE MÁS VENDIDOS «Menuda historia, ¿verdad? El asunto -ya es el momento de aclarar esto- es que todo es una invención. O casi todo».Daniel Arjona, El Confidencial «Gracias por este libro, hechicero Foenkinos».M. P., L’Express En 1999 centenares de jóvenes pasaron por las audiciones para interpretar a Harry Potter. Entre los dos candidatos que llegaron hasta el final, Daniel Radcliffe fue elegido por tener, según la directora del casting, «ese algo extra». Al leer estas declaraciones, David Foenkinos empatizó de inmediato con el chico que no tenía ese toque extra: el número dos. Esta novela narra su historia. La vida de Martin Hill, un chico con padres divorciados y gafas negras y redondas, da un vuelco cuando acude por azar a la productora londinense en la que trabaja su padre el mismo día en que pasa por ahí David Heyman, inmerso en la búsqueda del actor que encarnará al pequeño mago. Tras ser descartado, Martin irá cayendo en sucesivas depresiones con cada nueva entrega de los libros y las películas. A su alrededor, todo le recuerda el éxito de su rival y poco a poco, en lugar de disfrutar de la vida de Radcliffe, la suya propia empieza a parecerse a la del atormentado personaje de ficción. ¿Podrá sobreponerse a esa mancha en su destino y hacer del fracaso una fuerza? La crítica ha dicho:«Una sensacional historia que nos habla del revés oscuro del éxito, del azar, de los sueños rotos y, sobre todo (por qué no) del amor».PedroSimón, El Mundo «Un acto de justicia poética».Justo Barranco, La Vanguardia «A David [Foenkinos] le interesan los segundones. Su opinión es que la vida está llena de obstáculos, que hay gente continuamente entorpeciendo en los objetivos de cada uno, entonces no es tan importante lo que se logra o no, lo relevante es aprender algo del fracaso. Así es como una novela sobre el fracaso y el azar puede convertirse en un pequeño manifiesto por la esperanza».Albert Gómez, The Objective «No se trata de una novela sobre Harry Potter: más bien nos hace partícipes, siempre con delicadeza y sensibilidad, del sufrimiento silencioso de un niño que está al pie de una montaña demasiado alta».Valentine L. Delétoille, Paris Match «Un relato vivo, mordaz y divertido. Como un dios burlón, Foenkinos juega con los nervios de sus personajes».Claore Julliard, L’Obs «Foenkinos transforma una idea brillante en una novela cautivadora [...] con humor teñido de melancolía».Corinne Renou-Nativel, La Croix «Una novela maravillosa».Olivia Gesbert, France Culture «Todo el talento de este novelista del alma reside en la sutileza de las preguntas que formula, cuya respuesta no conoceremos hasta la última página».C. L., Le Pèlerin «Foenkinos sondea con delicadeza una tragedia íntima. [...] Un auténtico placer».C. A., Femme Actuelle «Con su habitual ternura y empatía, Foenkinos se apodera del destino de un segundón».Victorine De Oliveira, Vie «Foenkinos mezcla con habilidad lo verdadero y lo falso en una novela a la vez divertida y melancólica, cruel y seria».Laurence Caracalla, Le Figaro Littéraire «En la delicadeza el autor ha encontrado su mirada, su estilo y el éxito. La vida, en suma».José María Plaza, Zenda