“It’s easy to see why Carnival made Hage one of the finalists for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize ... the strands of the story weave tightly around the reader, leaving one tangled in a web of enchantment.” — Sofia Gay, Concordian

“The overall sense of the piece is a celebration of literature, but at the same time, Carnival is about the harsh, raw, senseless world that inspires books, driving home the fact that truth is -- unavoidably -- stranger than fiction.” — Christine Mazur, Winnipeg Free Press

“The things that make Rawi Hage a major literary talent include freshness, gut-wrenching lyricism, boldness, emotional restraint, intellectual depth, historical sense, political subversiveness and uncompromising compassion.” — T. F. Rigelhof, Globe and Mail

“Rawi Hage is, quite simply, a brilliant writer ... Carnival confirms Hage's status as a star in the literary firmament.” — Laura Eggertson, Toronto Star

“Carnival is a rich and compelling read, a testament to a daring and talented novelist.” — Devon Code, National Post

“The normally polite CanLit canon won’t prepare you for the violence, obsession, anger, lust and corruption of Hage’s books ... imagine Camus rewriting Taxi Driver.” — Toronto Life

“Hage’s prose is addictive ... [Carnival is] amazing, original, and impolite.” — Eric Boodman, Montreal Review of Books

“[Hage's] most exuberant, imaginative and playful [novel] yet.” — Telegraph Journal

“Finally, a piece of fiction that roars...Hage’s language is vivid, full of surreal imagery and laced with metaphor...literary risk-takers are rarer every day. I’ll take a novelist with Hage’s energy any time.” — Susan G Cole, NOW Magazine

“Hage continues to display a refreshingly confrontational aspect, and is unafraid to address material that writers more steeped in CanLit’s pervading politesse would studiously avoid.” — Steven W. Beattie, Walrus Magazine

“Hage’s writing can be poetic, funny and tragic. Most importantly, it always bears the mark of displacement.” — Paste

“…richly mysterious…” — David Kloepfer, The Rumpus

“[Carnival] is delivered in Hage’s festive, hard-boiled style. The novel’s short scenes of decadence and desperation spray across the pages like buckshot –loud and scattered, but still penetrating.” — Manoli Kouremetis, Time Out New York

“Fly's world is a bleak place, filled with themes of death and the grotesque and gritty pleasure.” — Fraser Julia, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette