In fact, she once told me that there were three Claras in her soul: a little girl, an old crone enslaved by her family, and a young woman, the real Clara, who wanted to get out of that city forever, who wanted to paint, and take photos, and travel, and live.

NEWYORKER: Clara

In New Orleans, Gregg is simply the latest in a long line of characters, from Chicken Man to Ruthie the Duck Girl, an extension of New Orleans' soul incarnate.

FORBES: Travel

Its narrative structure is conventional the girl's trials and tribulations, the cynic with a soul who has lost faith in the world, and the eloquent, cold-blooded thug but within these confines the characters have a shape of their own and the dialogue is refreshingly sharp.

ECONOMIST: French fiction