“Dear Lucy introduces a young writer with a most original voice and a tenderly eccentric vision. Julie Sarkissian has created a boldly lyrical, suspenseful, and mysterious fictional world in this striking debut novel.”
"A childlike female narrator—strange but full of naïve wonder . . . comes of age in a timeless story of motherhood, family, and loss in rural America. . . . Heightened realism that mingles easily with flights of occasional fantasy."
"A quirky but captivating debut."
“[A] captivating debut . . . a distinct voice that will hold up to the inevitable comparisons to Room and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”
“Sarkissian is a fine prose stylist, and the three voices in the novel are distinct. Her writing manages to be poetic without ever veering off into preciousness.”
“Every once and a while a new voice comes along that is so beautifully different from anything you've read before that it is hard to even dream up where it came from. Such is the voice of Lucy the title character in Julie Sarkissian's debut novel, Dear Lucy . . . Written in poetic prose, the novel's language sweeps you up from the first pages . . . Mysterious and haunting.”
An ambitious debut expresses different versions of maternal need through three female voices . . . a struggle for comprehension, memory and expression, lit with shafts of insight and fantasy.
“Sarkissian’s bold debut novel features a unique protagonist . . . [her] dazzling stream of consciousness is heightened with elements of fantasy—she is accompanied and guided by a talking pet chicken—while Sarkissian tenderly depicts her characters’ frailties, fears, and desires.”
“An ambitious, complex novel offering themes about the fragility of life, love and being loved.”
“Julie Sarkissian has written the most original and stunning debut novel I have read in a long time. Dear Lucy is one of those rare delights that you cannot put down, and once you do, you can’t forget.”
“Dear Lucy is about keeping promises against huge odds. This gorgeous novel does exactly that: the opening pages promise transcendent writing, remarkable characters, and a slowly unfolding mystery. But what happened and why is only part of what keeps you reading . . . Both whimsical and profound, Dear Lucy wins your heart on the very first page and delivers it back, fuller and slightly cracked, on the last.”
"In Dear Lucy, Julie Sarkissian has accomplished what many veteran novelists never achieve: a startlingly original work that is also profound and wise in the vagaries of the heart. What an amazing debut."
"Julie Sarkissian has written a rare and precious novel - moving, captivating, and expertly written in a voice unlike any other. Dear Lucy is full of characters who are heartbreakingly human; full of hope, desperation, love and joy. You’ll want to linger over the poetry of each and every sentence, but the foreboding mystery looming on the horizon will keep you turning the pages of this hauntingly beautiful book."
“Hypnotic and mesmerizing. This is gothic noir that is full of heart and pathos. Lucy’s lyric voice comes barreling off the page, and you will be utterly transfixed by the twists and turns of her journey. Sarkissian is a brilliant young writer who has written one of the most memorable debut novels in recent years.”
“A story told in voices, all of which have compelling power.”