An instant masterpiece that brings the taut psychological precision of a Chekhov story to a hyper-modern, post-#MeToo setting. -- Johanna Thomas-Corr - Observer
[A] brilliant new novel of the #MeToo era. -- Roger Cohen - New York Times
Lasdun's writing spreads implication like condensed flavor crystals that dissolve in water. By the end of the novel, he has examined every corner of the narrator's conflicted psyche... without once resorting to cliche. -- Katy Waldman - The New Yorker
Afternoon of a Faun has a propulsive energy.... The denouement, when it arrives, is shocking. -- William Skidelsky - Financial Times
Afternoon of a Faun is a highly conscientious novel, elegant in its execution and almost humble in its refusal to grandstand, or to turn a story about rape allegations into some didactic allegory. -- Josephine Livingstone - New Republic
Timely.... A well-drawn portrait of two flawed but highly articulate Englishmen in New York. -- Patrick McGrath - New York Times Book Review
Each time we feel that we can definitively decide where to put our sympathies, the story jostles and unbalances us with new insights. -- Marcel Theroux - Guardian
James Lasdun is my favourite 'should be famous' writer, his work extraordinarily taut and compelling.... Lasdun expertly demonstrates how inner moral structure is often built on the scaffolding of tenuous and arbitrary rules and self-justification. The complexity of male friendship is also wryly assessed.... Enthralling. -- Leyla Sanai - Spectator
Expertly orchestrated and engaging.... Of the novels to come out of the #MeToo moment to date, none is more riveting, insightful, and unsettling. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
[A] thought-provoking psychological thriller.... This novel comes to a brilliantly ironic conclusion that will leave readers reeling. -- Publishers Weekly
