“Exuberant and often arresting… It's impossible, reading Bhattacharya, not to be reminded of V.S. Naipaul.” —Dinaw Mengestu, The New York Times Book Review
“Bhattacharya’s gift for reproducing the rhythms and intricacies of his characters’ speech…places him in the company of Mark Twain. He understands the world by listening to it.” —The New Yorker
“A deft synthesis of travelogue and bildungsroman, by turns antic and introspective...so satisfying." —The Wall Street Journal
“Bhattacharya’s voice is thick with bizarre humor, poetic pidgin, and images lush with faraway magic.” —The Washington Post
“The Sly Company of People Who Care is a travel novel that reads like award-winning journalism . . . From the novel’s very first line, we know we’re in the care of a narrator unmatched in his lyricism and sensitivity.” —Alice Gregory, The Boston Globe
“So original and spirited, so thrillingly alive . . .An exhilarating first novel.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A love letter to Guyana . . . The Sly Company of People Who Care is beautifully written and brims with charm . . . Fascinating.” —Financial Times (London)
“Bhattacharya's writing bursts with as much passion as the tropical downpours he describes . . . Some of the most beguiling prose to emerge from the Caribbean.” —David Dabydeen, The Guardian (London)
“This ferociously gifted writer has already been hailed as the natural successor to the great Naipaul—and yes, he is that good. His narrator has a charming, confident voice that engages instantly and his descriptions of landscapes and people are ravishing.” —The Times (UK)
“Mesmerizing. . . beguiling. . . compelling. . . Bhattacharya sheds great light into this little-known corner of the planet, [forcing] us into a reconsideration of the world.” —The Independent (UK)
“Bhattacharya elevates his tale above the common travelogue by meditating on colonialism’s legacy and questions of identity, layering his thoughtful explorations with raunchy creole dialogue and enthusiastic reggae references. . . Four stars.” —Time Out (New York)
“With his singular voice, near-tangible narrative descriptions, and apt rendering of the nature of wanderlust, Bhattacharya transforms an ordinary travel tale into an epic journey. . . He deftly captures youth’s angst and the poignant ironies of running away on a journey of self-discovery.” —The Daily Beast
“[I’ve] seldom read a book with so much energy, and on almost every page there were little stylistic twists or felicities which had me stopping to admire them. The novel is a testament both to his potential and to his achievement.” —Nick Laird, 2012 Ondaatje Prize judges’ committee, author of Utterly Monkey
“Alternately lyrical, abrupt, whimsical, sexy, informative, seductive and always full of surprises . . . The language works a hypnotic magic and you soon feel you’re in Guyana yourself.” —Amitav Ghosh, author of Sea of Poppies
“What a voice, what a startling, funny, charming, provocative voice! Rahul Bhattacharya’s narrator is a true wanderer and a gifted poet of description. The journey he takes us on, through Guyana, through histories and selves, is a wonder.”—Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask
“Quick, cool, astonishingly assured, it awakens with its landscapes and characters a Conradian sense of wonder.” —Pankaj Mishra, author of Temptations of the West
“Words as musical notes, a book as symphony . . . An exotic locale and lyrical language make for a dazzling debut.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“Rahul Bhattacharya is the writer we’ve been waiting for, and his debut novel, The Sly Company of People Who Care, is that very rare thing: a great local fiction written by an outsider . . . for the first time in years I wished a book longer.” —Brendan de Caires, The Caribbean Review of Books
