'Bloor's new book is a prequel to his first but could be read alone, for it is a compelling and inventive story ... Maddie, a "mountain of a girl" living in self-imposed incarceration in the family home, emerges as a wonderfully unlikely and unforgettable heroine, who finally breaks free of her fears. -- The Daily Telegraph 20020701 'subversive, funny and imaginative' (The Memory Prisoner) -- The Observer 20010716 'funny and tragic, but always gripping' (The Memory Prisoner) -- The London Parents Guide 20000701 'Bloor is to be congratulated on creating a genuine heroine, stout in courage, as well as size.' (The Memory Prisoner) -- Nick Tucker, The Independent 20000729 'If Royston Vasey had had a public library it might have resembled the one in Thomas Bloor's The Memory Prisoner... Bloor never wastes a word communicating his nightmare, contriving all at once to be moving, alarming and funny. It takes a while to adjust to the extreme oddity of this short novel as there is nothing to compare it with. Sooner or later someone is going to mention Kafka, but I will eschew the K word except to remark that what most people forget about Kafka is his lethal matter-of-factness.' -- Jan Mark, TES 20000714 '...a bizarrely comic account ...' (The Memory Prisoner) -- Guardian 20000531 'a dark gothic fantasy, reminiscent of Mervyn Peake' (The Memory Prisoner) -- The Herald 20000730