A compelling and thought-provoking group of essays . . . As the parts of [Zagajewski's] life story begin to fall into place, an ironic and sad tapestry unrolls itself. Yet he's not all gloom and doom: he's often funny, and his humility is a strong virtue.

—Booklist

Zagajewski . . . infuses these haunting autobiographical sketches, lyrical reflections, fables, fantasies, and aphoristic brief essays with a sense of traumatic loss and uprootedness.

—Publishers Weekly

While the absence of apocalypse suggests that Zagajewski has moved beyond the avant-garde, the incredible variety and intricacy of his prose make clear that he is still in the midst of his own quiet revolution.

—John Palattella, Dissent