A superb collection of stand-out stories... The Pier Falls is unique in that every story is brilliant... It is, simply, and ultimately, an absolute pleasure to read * Irish Independent *
This is a top-notch collection... It veers into unexpected territory, and the evolving surprises are mesmerizing... 'The Pier Falls' leads the collection. It is a perfectly controlled little masterpiece... So chilling that one imagines its author could carve out a second career as a horror film scriptwriter. -- Lionel Shriver * Financial Times *
Brilliant collection... Seamless prose... It feels as though Haddon is leading you into the deepest underworld of human endeavor and behavior, yet holding your hand gently as he guides you into the labyrinth. Outstanding. -- Imogen Lycett Green * Daily Mail *
The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our brief lives. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *
He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or, even, Truman Capote. -- Andrew Billen * The Times *
The title story...is so good and so awful I read it with my hand over my mouth... His global smash hit The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time...hit the mark. Here, he hits it again, and again and again * Metro *
A knockout. From the breathtaking first piece, The Pier Falls is powerful and emotional. * Good Housekeeping *
Mark Haddon is a master of haunting detail. This title story is a tour de force and the other eight are diverting reminders of just how transporting a perfectly constructed short story can be. -- Olicia Cole * GQ *
Superb new collection... This impressive collection is both bleak and brilliant and shows a writer at the top of his game. -- Mernie Gilmore * Daily Express *
A sustained set of powerfully told stories... It's as if Ian McEwan had never turned nice. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *
He is a master of the short form...his imagination is even darker than we had thought. * i *
A masterful collection... Haddon is a consummate storyteller and The Pier Falls reveals a writer at the peak of his imagination. Some of the stories have already been shortlisted for awards and one suspects the whole collection will justifiably follow suit. -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *
This collection brims with incident both curious and exciting, and yet displays a cool, almost detached observance of unfolding drama that is impossible to look away from. -- Hilary White * Irish Independent *
Haddon's debut collection contains a suite of ambitiously scaled and event-packed tales, self-consciously eclectic both in setting and subject matter... The Pier Falls is a bracing, remorselessly lucid depiction of a sudden and expansive moment of chaos... Each of these stories grip. Like the news at its queasiest, most shocking or grimly inevitable, you frequently want to look away but are compelled to keep reading. -- Colin Barrett * Irish Times *
He can pull you into the heart of a new world with just two or three sentences, and deploys this talent with apparent ease... Haddon's work is easy to relate to because it's underpinned with razor-sharp clarity about what it means to be human. * Club Life *
