“Swan, the consummate storyteller, plays her hand shrewdly. There is just as much danger in goodness, she is telling us, as in evil.”
“A gallivanting read bound to become a classic.”
“Swan’s new novel is a tentative, fraught coming-of-age story about the complications of Mary’s desire—for the athletic and charismatic Pilkie on the one hand and her elusive father on the other … Swan’s representations of the two male figures emphasize them as opposing poles in Mary’s desire.”
“[Swan’s] poetic descriptions of Ontario’s harsh winter weather and adept use of colloquial speech … are particularly vivid, and help bring the world of the novel to vibrant life.”
“The timely subject of hockey concussions is absorbing, as is Swan’s consideration of broken minds… At the heart of the novel is a girl’s thoughtful deliberation on the mysteries of good and evil, and how they can be combined in the same person.”
“With its focus on winter in northern towns, pre-medicare medicine, hockey and the very relevant issue of concussions among professional athletes, Swan has added another gem to the Canadian canon.”
“Mouse Bradford is a unique and luminous creation … Gentleman John Pilkie, the hockey killer with a heart of gold, is dressed and ready to become a legend.”
– Paul Gross

“Swan’s elegant diction and structural flow is seamless. This is a novel for all generations.”
“Canadian literary icon Susan Swan is back … Once again, Swan expertly takes on what it meant to be a girl in a time when being a girl was no piece of cake.”

“Readers will revel in the familiar details of home coupled with a dramatic plot.”