ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ɪnðɪ ˌɪndᵻpˈɛndənt, dʒˈæn dˈeɪli dᵻskɹˈaɪbd ðə bˈʊk æz "mˈoːɹ ˈædmᵻɹəbəl ðɐn ɛndʒˈɔɪəbəl" ænd "wɪðˌaʊt ðə pˈʌlsɪŋ ɪmˈiːdɪəsi ʌv kˌoʊˈɛtsiːz pɹˈiːviəs wˈɜːk".
Writing in The Independent, Jan Daley described the book as "more admirable than enjoyable" and "without the pulsing immediacy of Coetzee's previous work".