Effortlessly readable and fizzing with energy, this novel is by turns quirky, funny and thoughtful.

Incisive and bittersweet.

Breezy, bittersweet and tangential, Trueba’s prose captures the rueful regrets of a man who’s searching for meaning and redemption in a life that’s short on both.

What holds the attention is the evocation of a culture trying to break free of rural, religious and Franco-ist ties. Dani’s wistful search for validation – from music, sex, or his father – adds a thoughtful dimension.

David Trueba’s skilfully crafted novel is fast-moving and full of sparkle, but with a deeper pull beneath the surface … It is a novel that tackles the chaos of life nakedly and nobly

Funny, poignant, full of honesty and warmth

Trueba writes about everyday life with a redemptive epic while avoiding sentimental pornography and cynicism. He wants to know who he is while we the readers try to figure out how is it possible that his experience of life looks so much like ours.

The narrative richness of the book is outstanding. Trueba has an instinct to extract from the language its paradoxes with a grace that comes only from a delicate attention to people’s conversations (…) The novel shines even brighter as life flirts with death and the ballad becomes sad.

A funny and bitter novel, full of intelligence and energy. It shows some of the miseries and the modest grandeur of life. The character’s self-criticism is brave, exciting, and realistic. With a skillful and stimulating taste for risk, it combines many issues and registers: from rock mythology to family melodrama, from John Irving to Rafael Azcona.

An effortless, fast-paced and light-hearted yet tremendously good piece of fiction.

A stunningly lucid novel, well written and elegant, but never cold.

The novel can be read from several perspectives, all of them enriching the reading experience: the difficulty of growing up with no roots; the deep marks left by love and desire; identity as a work in progress; and the porous connection between life and art.

A beautiful novel that blends drama and irony.

Lively and bittersweet.

Writing that is both warm and charming.