It surprised me that a story about a Dutchman living in New York who falls in with a group of shady, cricket-loving immigrants could be so gripping. But Netherland by Joseph O’Neill is one of the most original, edgy books I’ve read in ages. Jim Davies
I don’t remember being as surprised by a novel quite as much as I was by Paul Auster’s Timbuktu. I’d got used to Auster’s postmodernism, his literary style, and suddenly we get served up a short, beguilingly simple book written from the point of view of a faithful pet dog, the faithful and loving Mr. Bones. It’s a complete joy. Original, compelling and heart warming. Martin Lee