Reviews

The Killing of Butterfly Joe

‘A wild-eyed road trip across America, filled with colourful characters, crazy anecdotes, sparky dialogue . . . Brook’s writing remains as considered and enchanting as ever. And it’s funny too, which is always a wonderful thing.’ (Big Issue)

’A wonderful entertainment . . . a thoroughly readable and appealingly eccentric book’ (The Times)

’An exuberant, coming-of-age romp . . . a bittersweet comedy of sentimental education . . . larger-than-life fun’ (Daily Mail)

’A boldly unique book with an adventure story at its core . . . the biggest joy of this novel is in the brilliantly teased out sense of dread that starts the moment you pick up the book and read the title . . . a beautiful story, and beautifully told too . . . This novel is an adventure in every sense of the word’ (culturefly.com)

’The Killing of Butterfly Joe is such a compelling, unusual, character-rich novel; a great pleasure to read.’ (Gerard Woodward, Book short-listed author of I'll Go to Bed at Noon)

’Brook has created in Joe Boscoe a literary figure of epic proportions . . . his inventive, zestful take on American gothic is infectious. It makes for a wild, enjoyable ride’ (Church Times) 

The Testimony of Taliesin Jones

'Brook's debut novel is one of quiet miracles...implicitly in the marvellous way he is able to convince us of the power of faith.'  Sunday Times

'A beautiful meditation on childhood...Brook's voice has been plucked from the babbling tongues of his country and made new.' The Times

'...you'll find yourself seduced by the quiet power of the Welshman's prose, the subtlety of his narrative technique, with its onion-skin layers of meaning, sympathy and revelation.' Time Out

'The accomplished patterns and Brook's easy style form a readable and poetic first novel.' Guardian

'Subtle and sublime. Brook's novel is far out of the ordinary run...' Western Mail.

Jesus And The Adman

'Sharp, neat and highly to the point...recognisably the work of someone who is practiced at expressing himself without waste. There's no denying the pleasure and energy of the pared-down narrative.' Mail on Sunday

'...meets criteria that many contemporary novelists have either forgotten about or simply can not satisfy. The structure is perfect, the characters credible, the plot compelling. There is a rare attention to words, with original and elegant turns of phrase....an entertainment that slides into something darker...the ideas are profound and troubling...' Spectator

'A throughly smart, crafty and delightful novel. It's also a bold one... terribly funny and, finally, both disturbing and moving.'  Church Times

...'funny, readable...assured and confident...Brook knows how to pace a story.' Literary Review.

'Among his most obvious qualities as a writer is his sheer readability.' Western Mail.

More Than Eyes Can See

'...sent to find and tell the stories...And tell them he does, with a light, deft touch. Without a trace of mawkishness or sentimentality, Brook sets it out straight... with heartbreaking simplicity.' The Independent. 

'He has taken our Western preconceptions and allowed them to be broken down and reformed for us.  Not a story about despair...but about how to live a life...'  Mail On Sunday 

'a remarkable book that brought me face to face with the realities on the ground...' The Catholic Herald

The Aftermath

'Brook's masterful novel...wrings every drop of feeling out of a gripping human situation, and his vignettes of war-ravaged Hamburg are superb.'  The Mail on Sunday.  

'Superb...conjuring surprise after surprise as it shows how the forces of politics and history penetrate even the most intimate moments of its characters' emotional lives.' The Guardian

'Brook's fine, moving novel...addresses weighty themes - forgiveness, familial loss - with a light touch ...brings to mind no less a novel than JG Ballard's Empire of the Sun.'  The Financial Times

'Brook's profoundly moving...beautifully written novel ponders issues of decency, guilt and forgiveness...the meticulous integrity of his prose builds a narrative of chastened humans turning back from the brink.' The Independent.  

 'Brook's excellent third novel is a captivating tale of love among the ruins, treachery and vengeance...Brook weaves a number of masterly sub-plots. Surefooted, impressive, The Aftermath does what all good novels should.'  Literary Review

'Brook is wonderful at evoking the atmosphere of this forgotten time...with a spareness matched to the harshness of that winter.  There is much to think about here...'  The Times. 

'The Aftermath is a reflective act of compassionate but tough-minded observation. This is a stylish, heart-searching and convincing story that... memorably refashions this period.' The Herald.

'This is a thrilling, sexy, beautiful book.' Peter Florence, Director of Hay Festival. 

'Brook has evoked a much-overlooked episode of history where a new order must be established, and trust re-learnt. An extraordinary read.' The Daily Mail. 

'The writing of this powerful novel is beautiful, the scene-setting cinematic.' The Sunday Times. 

 'If history is written by the victors, The Aftermath goes some way towards redressing the balance, making a heartfelt case for the universal nature of humanity.' Sunday Express