Bakker once again, through David Colmers bracingly fresh translation, explores with remarkable deftness the ways in which lives are interwoven. -- Paul Binding * TLS * Bakkers unhurried precision delivers an understated portrait of middle-aged loneliness, before a twist that probes the role of narrative indeterminacy in how we make sense of the world. * The Sydney Morning Herald * A well-constructed, playful novel about three generations of barbers. -- Declan O'Driscoll * Irish Times * To say that Gerbrand Bakker hasnt forgotten how to write a novel would be an understatement. With The Hairdressers Son, he presents himself as one of the very best writers the Netherlands has to offer With this vivid prose, he makes Simon fascinating, he makes him someone perhaps the greatest and most loving thing a writer can do. For the reader this results in the almost magical illusion that is the most extraordinary (and, I believe, unforgettable) thing about this novel: the sense of having really seen someone. Gerbrand Bakker has written his characters to life. * NRC * [ E]nthralling in that although nothing feels invented, the pages still seem to exude something magical Simply narrated scenes, terrifying and moving at once. -- De Groene Amsterdammer
