A major new talent ... superb * Independent *
Terrific ... In bringing the tribulations of the Krasnanskys in their Roman limbo so vividly to life, Bezmozgis has written a novel that succeeds admirably in combining comic brilliance with a poignant portrait of a family trapped between two worlds * Sunday Times *
Self-assured, elegant and perceptive ... [his] taut 2004 debut collection Natasha and Other Stories suggested that he might well be of those authors' [Philip Roth and Leonard Michaels] caliber; The Free World goes a long way toward confirming this status * The New York Times *
There is a lust for life imbuing his prose - the jokes, the descriptions of faces and kisses and streets and laughter, the sprinkles of Italian, Yiddish and Latvian - making it wonderfully uplifting. It is hard to escape the conclusion that Bezmozgis is one of the most assured new Jewish writers of the century so far * The Times *
David Bezmozgis projects a sense of ease that is very rare in first novels; he does everything well * Telegraph *
A proper novel that bulges and pulses and thrums with life ... I ended up loving it ... The principal tone is wry - mainly comedic, sometimes melancholic, occasionally tragic, ironical, playful, charming ... a rich and occasionally brilliant novel [that] is well worth reading * Observer *
Heavy with the consciousness of time, the inevitability of crises. Bezmozgis has the knack of ending scenes, chapters, especially, at the perfect reverberant moment, plangent or ironic * Guardian *
Colourful, sharply funny and deeply moving * Financial Times *
Delivered in an understated style which can accommodate serious subtext as well as ironical humour ... His portraits of the family circle are neatly rendered and compassionate ... There is no doubt Bezmozgis remains a writer worth monitoring * Independent on Sunday *
Alternately comic, sharp and sombre ... it's impossible not to be caught up in the tangled web of its unforgettable case * Daily Mail *
A wonderful affirmation of the most novelish kinds of virtues ... Bezmozgis choreographs his work beautifully; with a drip-feed of revelations that humanises the characters and undercuts the reader's partial judgements on them ... A Chekhovian tragicomedy; part heartbreaking farce and part risible melancholy ... Like Gary Shteyngart, [Bezmozgis] is brilliantly able to use the former Cold War enemies as foils to each other. Each side is as bad as the other; and the humans are always caught in the middle of the muddle * Scotsman *
Quietly astonishing fables of unmistakeable brilliance ... Breathtaking * Observer on Natasha and other Stories *
With a maturity and control far beyond his years, Mr Bezmozgis has produced a captivating and impressive debut. The title story itself is one I will never forget -- Jeffrey Eugenides
Passionately full of life ... his literary skills [are] remarkable -- James Wood * London Review of Books *
He is being described as the new Philip Roth, the new Chekhov ... the hype may not be entirely exaggerated * Guardian *
Scary good ... Not a line or note in the book rings false * Esquire *
A stunning first collection, characterized by a painful honesty and clarity of vision ... Bezmozgis writes with compassion, quietly reminding us of the hidden beauty within human imperfection -- Julie Orringer * The Believer *