[A] taut political thriller. . . . Hill’s intricate, propulsive plot includes corruption, murder, and mayhem, and readers will be rushing to its fulfilling resolution. - Publishers Weekly
Pushing the story forward is a character who has the kind of determination, bravery, and loyalty that most people could only strive for. . . . He is the kind of character you will root for all the way to the finish line. My rating: 5/5. - Newstalk 1010, Bookends review
Hill has masterfully portrayed the voices lost in our contemporary discussions of immigration. This is a compelling and thought- provoking examination of the challenges any nation faces when we fail to serve as our brother’s and sister’s keepers across borders, nationality, and race. A must-read. - Heidi W. Durrow, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
Lawrence Hill manages that rare feat-a political thriller that never loses its heart. Keita’s story will entrance you, enrage you, and finally make you want to reach right through the page and hug him. With skill and grace, Hill reminds us of our interconnectedness with displaced people around the world. This is a book about the liberating power of compassion. Don’t miss it. - Dolen Perkins-Valdez, bestselling author of Wench and Balm
“Hill has outdone himself with his latest novel. . . . His characters are authentic, and each is indispensable. . . . Captivating.” - Library Journal (starred review)
[The Illegal] explores many charged issues and questions. . . . [It] will, no doubt, remain in readers’ minds, and may help deepen our urgent dialogue about race and immigration. - Quill and Quire
A twisting, intricately woven yarn that spins itself out at an incredible pace. . . . In The Illegal, Hill takes on the snarled, pressing issues of our moment in time. . . . His larger moral questions linger, provocatively. - The Globe and Mail
The Illegal is a page turner. . . . The parallel world Hill has created allows for a perhaps fantastical overcoming of obstacles that is both exhilarating and heartening. - Toronto Star
The narrative structure of The Illegal is artful and suspenseful, the themes it addresses timely and prescient. Most of all, it is a thrilling story that paints a rich portrait of complex experiences too often reduced to a single media image. - Winnipeg Free Press
Deeply satisfying . . . shot through with humor and humanity. . . . [A] timely and affecting story. - Booklist
Hill skillfully injects details throughout of the vicissitudes and travails faced by any person, no matter what color or ethnicity, struggling to escape from strife-ridden, life-threatening conditions in their own countries. . . . The settings may be imaginary, but the perils rendered here are as real as the front-page stories in this morning’s newspaper. - Kirkus Reviews