Bloody Awful in Different Ways

A LITTLE TREASURE OF A BOOK. Hilarious but vulnerable, clever but raw, and pure joyous storytelling on every page. You’ll come for the laughs, but you’ll stay for the love letter, from a grown man to his boy self, promising everything will be all right

Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove

In a perfect balance between levity and sadness, Andrev Walden depicts a boy's attempt to come to terms with a life where fathers are constantly replaced. Bloody Awful in Different Ways is a humorous examination of a different kind of childhood, which, despite the pervasive blackness, is portrayed with an inexhaustible warmth and presence

August Prize Judges

Outstanding literature. Shamelessly entertaining

Sydsvenskan

Walden makes both trivialities and atrocities sparkle

Aftonbladet

This is a childhood story of the humorous kind, which occasionally resembles a fairy tale – but also has a core of seriousness and sadness, through its portrayal of men’s violence against women and children … A remarkable achievement ... A debut that bodes very well

Svenska Dagbladet

A hair-raising story, formidably told [...] I would sacrifice blood for his language

Dala-Demokraten

Walden impresses greatly with his thoughtful storytelling and unique filter against reality

Göteborgs-Posten

If there is such a thing as an absolute literary ear, Andrev Walden has it, because throughout the book he hits every single note right and that is something very unusual - 5/5

BTJ

This tragicomic account of a boyhood is at once sitcom, circus, and extended nightmare. As Andrev learns about masculinity through a series of hapless and sometimes toxic ‘dads’, his memorable and wildly vivid voice persists as a form of hope

Clare Pollard, author of The Modern Fairies

'I challenge you not to fall in love with Andrev as he thrashes doggedly through life - perpetually hopeful and inept. This is a small gem of a novel, with an irresistible voice and a teasing sidelong wit

Meg Rosoff, author of How I Live Now

What a book! I laughed, cried, despaired and hoped for this young boy negotiating seven fathers in seven chaotic years, taking us with him for the wild ride. A story that reads this easily with consummate fluidity, pace and comic timing deserves the widest audience possible

Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness

The new Knausgaard ... Witty and insane about lousy stepfathers and the innocent but brutal eighties

Dagbladet, Norway

A gripping coming-of-age novel with a playwright's confidence and linguistic flair ... Brilliant

Verdens Gang, Norway

Bloody good!

NRK, Norway

Elegant and distinctive ... It's painful, it's strong, but it's also really funny

Adresseavisen, Norway

Bad fathers, great novel

BOK365, Norway

Marvellous

Dagens Næringsliv, Norway

An incredible account of growing up

Ann-Helen Laestadius, author of Stolen

This is a truly special novel. A delight from start to finish. Captures the joy and pain of being a teenager perfectly. I adored Andrev and already miss him

Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

Through Walden's precise and evocative language, we are invited into a young boy’s observations of the world and his journey into manhood. A sharply critical view of the male-dominated world is interwoven with tender portrayals of how a person is shaped by their relationships. It becomes unmistakably clear how vulnerable and strong we are in relation to one another. I laugh, I ache, and I reflect as I read Walden’s book

Lisa Ridzén, author of When the Cranes Fly South

Vivid, funny, and achingly tender ... A rare, unmissable gem

The Bookseller

Darkly funny, and comically tragic. An absolute gem. I loved it

Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

A proven winner ... It tells you things about growing up that you didn’t realise were true, not until Walden put them into words ... Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with another Swedish novel, Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove (2012). Similarly perceptive of human behaviour (albeit about an old man rather than a young one) and as tragicomic, that novel went from being Sweden’s bestselling book of 2013 to global blockbuster. There’s no reason why Bloody Awful in Different Ways can’t do the same. Bloody awful? Bloody brilliant, more like

Daily Telegraph

Funny and profound ... With a distinctive narrative voice, this deftly balances humour and sadness

Good Housekeeping

Important to note that the title is not a true reflection of the novel: indeed, I’d attest that Andrev Walden’s story is actually bloody brilliant in different ways

Buzz Mag

Darkly funny ... Distinctive ... Walden’s instinct for observation and his ear for prose are flawless. His understated humour is particularly winning … The writing remains so sharp, so beguiling, so acutely observed

Rebecca Wait, Guardian

In conversational, often funny prose, Walden dodges the mawkish, opting to present a child’s view of life ... It is [Andrev’s] acute self-awareness, as a writer and custodian of his memory, that sets Walden and his debut book apart

Literary Review

Walden’s story is rich with dark humour and tender coming-of-age moments that make this a brilliant and beguiling page-turner

Daily Express