Critical Praise

"Really an old-fashioned novel of ideas...very funny...likely to leave you aching, too."

——The New Yorker

"Few first novels blaze with such all-knowing poise....Phillips is a wisecracking microbiologist of society and spirit."

——People

"Rhapsodic."

——The Washington Post Book World

"Heartbreaking...a masterpiece of caustic satire."

——Los Angeles Times

"Stop yearning for that elegant, entertaining novel that used to be. Thanks to Phillips, it's right here, right now."

——Newsweek

"Wry and skillful...a rare balance of wisdom and imagination."

——The New York Times Book Review

"Ingenious...Phillips presents his characters with a wry generosity and haunting poignancy to rival his wonderfully subversive wit."

——The New York Times