Butterfly

Exquisitely written – you end up rereading sentence after sentence – and unforgettable.

Nick Hornby

An extraordinary writer ... A heart-stopping representation of adolescent girlhood, as strange and riddling and true as fiction gets ... Dark and riveting ... Combine[s] a Garner-like level of observational authenticity with a sweeping dramatic brilliance ... It's hard not to think in the face of this black little diamond of a book ... Dazzling.

Peter Craven, The Age

Lucid and beautiful, compassionate yet unflinching, enigmatic yet touching, sometimes tragic sometimes funny, this is a memorable novel by a writer at the height of her powers.

Sophie Masson, Weekend Australian

Rich, visceral ... Hartnett's tiny domestic insights unleash a tornado of human experience.

Herald Sun

Hartnett's prose is breathtakingly good. Her sentences have the deft economy of poetry; her images are variably pointed or achingly poignant, sometimes both ... Will make adult female readers shiver with gladness at being all grown up.

Big Issue

Full of insight and wit.

The Guardian

Sonya Hartnett is an expert in psychological danger.

Sunday Telegraph

A skilled and subtle writer.

Canberra Times

Sonya Hartnett is a splendid writer ... Hartnett's great setting is the scuffed rehearsal room of our youth. She leads us in there with a deceptively gentle voice, beautifully cadenced.

Craig Sherborne, The Monthly

A beautiful book filled with heartbreak and empathy.

Woman's Day

Hartnett's trademark, Amis-like ability to play with language is as impressive as ever.

Sydney Morning Herald

A bittersweet joy.

Madison