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“Personae is another excellent book by De La Pava that demonstrates once again that he is one of the most dynamic and important younger novelists coming out of the U.S. But while Personae reveals this talent, it is also essential to note that, in many ways, it is an (intentionally) difficult book, and perhaps even more challenging than A Naked Singularity (despite being less than a third of its length). Indeed, I wish that more novelists had even half of the ambition and talent that De La Pava does. For readers interested in an unusual and unforgettable experience, Personae presents a rewarding challenge and is already one of the most intriguing and brilliant novels I’ve read all year. This is a beautifully written work that I’ll keep thinking about for some time to come, and as soon as I finished the book, I immediately wanted to read it again—and I can’t think of any higher praise than that.”
Emmett Stinson, Triple R Radio, Melbourne
“Sergio De La Pava is, unquestionably, the great hidden talent of contemporary North American fiction . . . De La Pava's second novel, Personae, is a somewhat more experimental affair, but no less riveting and potent than its predecessor. It begins as a police procedural, proceeds into a Beckett-ian drama and concludes powerfully with a series of dramatic blasts of life, death and love. De la Pava can write on such subjects with either a gruesome sense of reportage or the delicacy of a poet. He is at heart, a philosopher willing to tackle the extremes of the human condition while compiling nail-biting narratives and throwing in smatterings of science, law, religion, art and murder along the way. Personae will scare a lot of readers due to its apparently non-linear approach to narrative (fans of David Foster Wallace, Ben Marcus or Brian Conn won't flinch) but by the book’s stunning finale the themes behind the shifting narratives form a cohesive and consummate conclusion. I await De La Pava's next outing with bated breath.”
Ashley Crawford, Editor of 21C magazine
