The Wasp Eater

The Wasp Eater is one of the best novels I've read this year. The author's expertise with language and story is so complete that he draws you in from the start, and doesn't let go. It's a slender book; you'll read it quickly, and then you'll want to take your time when you read it again.

This book is a real keeper! Not the typical summer best seller or beach book, The Wasp Eater brilliantly depicts basic elements in the tragedy of a broken family. Coming from a child's point of view, the narrative sensitively reveals Daniel's movement towards understanding. Through the development of his characters, Lychack demonstrates his perception of our tragic inability to communicate our needs to one another. Using the poignancy of idealism and hope opposed by inevitable weaknesses of character, the writer has produced a timeless and universal image of growing up.

Congratulations Mr. Lychack on a book well done...I read this book in one sitting. Mr. Lychack writes with great sensitivity and brought my feelings alive more with each chapter. Best wishes for the continuing writing achievements I know you will earn. I look forward to reading more from you. Keep up the good work.

William Lychack's book is truly a little gem I enjoyed every page. His writing flows with lyricism and gritty realism all at once. The characters are great and their relationships are perfectly complex, yet so understandable. The book hits all the right notes of despair, hope and understanding. A great tale of growing up before you want to. I can't wait for his second book.

This slim, lyrical novel beautifully captures the the intensity and impotence of childhood--a time when parents can be both fiercely loved and as inscrutable and destructive as forces of nature. Lychack takes his own bitter memories of this difficult time, and transforms them, as if by magic, into a tale of touching sweetness. What a pleasure to read!