The Devil's Footprints

“Stunning. . . . Remarkable. . . . majestically written, with a piercing intelligence and a razor-sharp sense of the human predicament.”—The New York Sun"Burnside is a luminous writer and muscular thinker."—Los Angeles Times"A classic Jekyll and Hyde story. . . . Burnside is an acclaimed poet and indeed, his prose shimmers with the silence that resides at the center of all poetry."—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"A devouring eloquence . . . what happens on almost every page is absorbing. . . . The work of an ‘extraordinarily good writer.’"—Times Literary SupplementBurnside wrestles with hugeness in a way that few writers dare to … convincingly gracious and profoundly necessary.”—Ali Smith“A remarkable author …”—A. L. Kennedy“A master of language …”—Hilary Mantel“A spare, bewitching, beautifully written book … Burnside nimbly delineates the border where the actual and illusory meet: on both sides he finds dark and flinty human truths.”—London Times“Burnside has written a haunting tale of crime and absolution; belonging and alienation; guilt and grief. Both this novel and [his poetry] are superb achievements. To be both a poet and novelist is highly unusual. To write so outstandingly well in both genres is a rarity indeed.”—Financial Times“The Devil’s Footprints is a classic tale with an old-fashioned, gripping plot. But it is also helplessly good at the things that Burnside loves best: geography, the neighbours, the way people’s lives go, and the way people’s other, secret lives turn out.”—Guardian