“Filmic in its attention to detail and almost unremittingly bleak. However, despite the grotty realism, the narrative is interspersed with lyrical magical realist moments ... Interludes are reminiscent of those in Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet”

“A fresh, compelling voice in contemporary Australian fiction. Not for the squeamish”

“A cleverly-structured piece of dark realist literature, portraying the harsh realities of everyday life in a most visual manner. Deane succeeds in creating disjointed slices of reality that come together to both shock and haunt his readers”

“Another is harsh, a gruelling depiction of family breakdown, petty crime, adolescent discontent and inner and outer scars”

“Joel Deane’s first novel has just been published and is, in a word, compelling”

“An unremitingly bleak story ... It is a part of Australian life that our literature hasn’t much interest in coming to terms with and Deane seems to write about it from the inside and with real compassion for his characters’ struggles”

“Another is a brutal novel, full of violence and hatred. Yet everything about it is true and clearly recognisable, from daily news reports if not from one’s own life. The characters are on a descending spiral and Joel Deane seems to know them better than they will ever know themselves ... A shocking story with a profound clarity of voice and vision”

“Joel Deane has written a lyrical, powerful novel that is, in equal parts, utterly political, and rooted in that realm of human emotion which is above politics. It is a call to action for the atrocious world we’ve given our youth, and at the same time, a celebration of the beauty of humanity. It is easy and fast to read, and the kind of deep, intense experience which will stay with the reader for a long time”

“This is the rubble of suburbia, an Australia we are too smug to acknowledge, too scared to enter. Joel Deane has written a dark and moving novel about families on the margins”