Testimonials

“Docx has a gift for assessing ‘the exact shape and weight of other people’s inner selves, the architecture of their spirit’ and even his most ancillary characters flare into being, vital and insistent.”

“Docx’s ability to evoke the atmosphere of a city is almost Dickensian … He can place you in each hot-stopping moment, speed up and slow down time form one sentence to the next.”

“Powerfully evoked … and beautifully crafted.”

“Fiendish cleverness”

“His talent for narrative is very fine indeed”

“Reminiscent of JM Coetzee … This poisoned Eden throbs with intensity and delivers and gut punch that leaves you reeling.”

“Deeply enjoyable … a delight”

“Pravda is a book on fire. Edward Docx’s novel is written with a mastery and passion that summon up Dickens and Dostoevsky … a novel so vivid it glows in the dark—like truth.”

“As full of intellectual provocations as it is of suspenseful turns”

“Stylish, witty and cleverly written, this is a brilliant debut novel from a fine new talent.”

“Edward Docx does not just provide a realistic description of the St Petersburg, but allows the reader to experience it – with all its beauty and cruelty, similar to the style of Dostovesky”

“Docx is a virtuoso phrasemaker”

“The Calligrapher could be described as a romance of sorts, but that doesn’t do justice to a novel that is as intelligent and sophisticated as it is light and funny.”

“Docx’s narrative is utterly compelling … this is partly due to his keen sensibility for the complexities of love, sex and art and partly to his sardonic eye for bourgeois life … a smartly written novel.”

“In the end, The Calligrapher is a racy and stylish tale of comeuppance that is nearly Donnean in its density: Docx’s prose and plot continually double back on themselves in the way that Donne’s poems knot up like little erotic

“Docx is a talented story teller … he delves into the internal world of his heroes and his perceptiveness and precision allow him to create memorable images.”

“Docx writes densely and intelligently about complex relationships among complicated people. As in his previous book the final twist is a stunner, both totally unexpected and carefully prepared for.”

“A romantic comedy of unusual depth and darkness. It combines the pleasures of traditional romantic comedy with the precision and intellectual capabilities of early Julian Barnes.” 

“Docx has a stunning talent for communicating the essence of a person, group, or place in a single brushstroke that’s incisive, sometimes strange, and always evocative.”

“Docx is a smart and farcical writer, with some delicious turns of phrase. There’s no doubt that there is considerable and even ferocious talent a-bubble here”

‘Docx is a master of disquiet, and brilliantly captures the bewildering effect of the forest in this immensely intelligent novel.’

“Mr Docx’s … stylishly written, pacy novel is a sexy, satisfying read.”

“An unusually intelligent thriller that refuses to take sides … Conrad would have rather enjoyed it.”