Graeme Friedman

“More than just a coming-of-age novel, What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams is a wonderful affirmation of the human spirit, full of compassion and hope.”

"Assured, powerful and moving. The world of the child is created with delicacy and authenticity and the boy’s ‘super-hearing’ works extraordinarily well: it has a medical explanation, and yet that diagnosis doesn't begin to account for its complexity and metaphorical richness."

"Beautiful and profound. A richly complex and lyrical novel that is a portrait of the essential reckoning that the young must make with pain and suffering in order to fully inhabit their moral personhood."

"An immensely helpful offering… While the majority of the sage advice is delivered in the context of fictional couples, the broad principles of emotional attachment are easily transferable to any deep personal relationship—even the most secure will benefit from reading this offering."

“[A] suspenseful and inventive story… The strength of Friedman’s unusual novel lies in its original and gripping plotline. It also has strong, well-conceived characters and contains passages of beautiful, descriptive prose… It is a complex and ambitious tale – filled with intriguing insights into human frailty and the pitfalls of hubris and obsession.”

“The read is simply exquisite. It will fascinate the anthropologist and warm the hearts of those who are the keepers of their families.”

“The Piano War is a tale of love and destiny, impressive in its geographical sweep and detail.”

★★★★★

“Brilliant... The biographical detail is often fascinating... Better than that, this is also a social history of a country coming to terms with itself after years of violent political upheaval... This is not just a the-ball-came-over-and-I-hit-it biography – it is a fully fledged human drama with an incredible backdrop.”

"A moving and unusual tribute to an extraordinary man."

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"Friedman’s prose effortlessly draws readers into this captivating story… What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams is a riveting story that takes readers through a vivid world as it is seen through a young boy’s imaginative eyes. This is an evocative novel with a creative plot and engrossing characters."

"A moving, sensitive account of a child comprehending his startling circumstances… At once heartbreaking and redemptive. Graeme Friedman is a gifted storyteller."

"Wonderful and poignant. The authors have introduced some incredibly addictive characters to explore the issues—I loved these people, I loved reading about their lives, understanding their relationships and seeing how they interacted with each other. I loved the buoyancy of their exchanges and the way that they managed to negotiate each other in such a sensitive fashion."

"You will feel good when you reach the last page, as if your humanity has, in some intricate and heart-warming way, been affirmed."

"The present, recent past and pre-history are linked in this fascinating book"

“It’s a love story – the most remarkable and gripping I have come across in my newspaper career.”

“Out of pure fear I read The Piano War in one night, scared that these two lovers would never see each other again. And immediately the next day began reading again from the beginning because the book is precisely as Alessandro Baricco says, ‘A perfect balm. The fixed exactitude of reading as a suture for terror.’ ... Friedman’s historical research is above suspicion ... As a reconstruction of the love and pain of ordinary people during wartime, The Piano War is a gripping, suspenseful work.”

"A richly varied tribute ... some true gems to be found."