"I remember reading this memoir some twenty years ago and thinking I had found a long lost childhood friend. With the language of a poet—both incandescent and glaringly fluorescent—Karr recounts sexual abuse, the charm and unreliability of her alcoholic father, and the emotional chaos of her brilliant, beautiful, and mentally ill mother. What emerges in memory is a meditation on truth found in love and self-knowledge."

"Written by my other favorite Irish writer, this book couldn’t be more different in tone than “The Butcher Boy,” but is no less captivating. In this beautifully mediative tale, Alexander Cleave is a celebrated actor who returns to live in his childhood home. The book seemingly has little or no plot but the sheer towering beauty of its language, atmosphere and insight make it impossible to put down or to forget."

"I remember the intensity of Pialat’s acting. His power is so overwhelming and economical. All of the language in the film is incredibly straightforward, very open and transparent. I’ve only seen it once, twenty years ago, but I remember that it was completely opposite of what I just said about Gertrud. Instead of transcending itself, it’s just so clearly present, like a statue right there in front of you."