"Whether it's exploring the effects of collaboration during the Nazi occupation, the absences of loved ones or the vulnerable nature of male intimacy, the literature Mortier creates greets its readers warmly, and has in turn been met with numerous esteemed awards in Europe. . . . With tenderness and skill, Mortier crafts assured novels brimming with quiet optimism despite their often somber subjects. To have them now translated and available in the United States all at once is a generous treat." -
Shelf Awareness on Marcel, My Fellow Skin and Shutterspeed "This is a Bildungsroman which is related to much European literature from Proust and Mann onwards... peculiarly unforgettable." -
A.S. Byatt, Guardian "A sparkling novel with a thunderous effect [...] a Flemish song of truth and semblance." -
Vrij Nederland "Such an elegant pirouette sur place deserves high praise." -
de Volkskrant "Mortier again shows his mastery." -
Trouw
In this story about love as second skin, Mortier remains true to the perspective of his dazzling debut, Marcel, looking at the world through the eyes of an observant and impressionable young boy, Anton Calewijn