WINNER OF THE FLAIANO PRIZE

"Lithe and hilarious . . . short enough to be assimilated on a quiet evening, yet powerful enough to leave you with the sense that you could be doing more to understand the people around you." --Off the Shelf

"The rich variety of characters and psychological understanding place Mr. Lakhous in the tradition of Balzac and Dickens."--The Washington Times

"The author's real subject is the heave and crush of modern, polyglot Rome . . . the novel feels exclaimed rather than written."--The New Yorker

"Wonderfully offbeat."--The Seattle Times

"What's memorable about Lakhous' novel is what he shows us of an often inward-looking nation confronting the teeming vibrancy of multicultural life."--NPR's Fresh Air

"This short but nearly flawless novel offers an intriguing and satisfying blend of crime and literary fiction."--Booklist

"Intriguing psychological and social insight alongside a playful whodunit plot, exposing the power of fear, racial prejudice and cultural misconception to rob a neighborhood of its humanity."--Publishers Weekly

"A satirical, enigmatic take in the racial tensions that afflict present-day Europe."--Brooklyn Rail

"An Italian noir-comedy-satire, written by an Algerian, that effectively breaks rules and has a good time doing it." --Shelf Awareness