River of Ink

Paul M. M. Cooper Press Reviews

'An extraordinary debut ... Paul M.M. Cooper is writer of real talent ... River of Ink is what historical fiction should be: immersive, illuminating and captivating' The Times

'Potent, beautiful and wholly absorbing, Cooper's portrait of a reluctant revolutionary had me in thrall from its first chapter. A wonderful, memorable debut' Madeline Miller, author of the Orange Prize-winning The Song of Achilles

'Cooper endows his work with persuasive historical accuracy and detail, but the juice of his own work is the intensely poetic quality of his prose ... There is enough astonishing quality in this first novel for us to hope that Cooper will soon produce another' Independent

'It isn't easy to write about the past with both a hesitant watchfulness and a calm assurance, to make it vivid and strange and yet also, in a fundamental way, ours, but that's exactly what Paul Cooper has achieved - with considerable aplomb - in River of Ink' Amit Chaudhuri, author of Odysseus Abroad

'Masterly ... A powerful and timely fable about freedom, resistance and the secret might of the weak' Financial Times

'A striking first novel from an author with a rare skill for deploying heavy research with a light touch, for revelling in the seductive possibilities of style without losing sight of narrative drive, and for making profound points while also delivering first-rate entertainment. Paul M.M Cooper's own pen is certainly a formidable weapon, and it will be exciting to see him wield it again in years to come Asian Review In his first novel, Cooper vividly reconstructs a long-buried society and, creates in Asanka - a coward reluctantly forced into acts of courage - a likeable, multifaceted narrator' Sunday Times

'A highly accomplished debut: Cooper's writing glides from moments of grace and beauty to pure horror in this enthralling novel' Mahesh Rao, author of The Smoke is Rising