A Kind of Intimacy

"Annie's distinctive voice becomes so intimate that, while we laugh and condemn, the uncomfortable knowledge dawns that there might be a potential Annie in us all as she teaches us `how human beings need gentleness."---The Independent

"One day you're in clover; the next Annie has moved in next door and all hell's broken out.

Annie brings a vast collection of grudges, superhuman mendacity and a trove of well-thumbed self-help manuals with her:

These furnish her with what she sees as impeccable social `skills,' diligently misapplied to every unsuspecting community she colonizes."---The Guardian

"Annie Fairhurst bears a resemblance to Stephen King's Annie Wilkes (from Misery) and Ashworth is playing with the horror genre here, although the reader doesn't realize this for quite some time.

Until then, it seems to be an indictment of suburban living, God help you if Annie moves in next door.!"---Politico (Ireland)