“This short yet spacious and powerful book — in such contrast to the well-larded garrulity of the bulbous American novel of today — reminds us of the careful and apropos writing of J.M. Coetzee, W.G. Sebald and Uwe Timm. Petterson’s kinship with Knut Hamsun, which he has himself acknowledged, is palpable in Hamsun’s “Pan,” “Victoria” and even the lighthearted “Dreamers.” But nothing should suggest that his superb novel is so embedded in its sources as to be less than a gripping account of such originality as to expand the reader’s own experience of life.”—Thomas McGuane, The New York Times Book Review

“From the first terse sentences of this mesmerizing Norwegian novel about youth, memory, and, yes, horse stealing, you know you’re in the hands of a master storyteller.”—Newsweek

“Petterson’s spare and deliberate prose has astonishing force.”
—The New Yorker

“You don’t put down Norwegian Per Petterson’s new novel, Out Stealing Horses. Well, sometimes you do, because you have to….But you don’t really, at least not in your head, because Petterson’s prose sticks with you.”—Esquire

“Out Stealing Horses seldom relinquishes its eerily quiet tone….Petterson fluently jumbles his chronology, sustaining mysteries within several subplots and vivifying evergreen ideas about determinism and the bonds of family. But the real trick is in the way everything finally, neatly converges into an emotional jolt.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“I was completely taken with Out Stealing Horses from the first page. I found it powerful yet so quietly done I could hear myself breathe and I finished with an exhalation of awe.”
—Amy Tan

“Petterson accepts with great tenderness the way his characters respond to fate, and the varied nature of their resilience is what makes the novel, in the end, so moving.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Petterson, little known outside his native Norway, apparently beat out the likes of Julian Barnes, J.M. Coetzee and—God be praised—Cormac McCarthy [for the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award]. Three cheers for the judges, say I. Out Stealing Horses is a marvelous book." —Chicago Tribune

"The novel clearly sets Petterson apart as a distinguished foreign author, but his rich character study contains such depth and universal emotion that the States can’t help but take notice." —Boldtype

"A quiet, spare, ruminative novel … Richard Ford even chimed in with a ringing endorsement, and if you threw in a hosanna from Cormac McCarthy you’d have a pretty good idea of the sort of literary territory Petterson is exploring." —The Rake

“A magnum opus of incredible proportions.”
—The Sanford Herald

“Per Petterson is a master of the voice.”
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“The novel’s incidents and lush but precise descriptions of forest and river, rain and snow, sunlight and night skies are on a par with those of Cather, Steinbeck, Berry, and Hemingway, and its emotionalforce and flavor are equivalent to what those authors can deliver, too.”
—✩Booklist

“It has to be said, on the evidence of these few novels, that Per Petterson is a profoundly gifted novelist.”
—Richard Ford

“Haunting, minimalist prose and expert pacing give this quiet story from Norway native Petterson an undeniably authoritative presence.”
—✩Kirkus

“Petterson has established his reputation abroad, winning several international prizes…but he deserves critical acclaim here as well. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.”
—✩Library Journal

“Per Petterson’s novel Out Stealing Horses is a book that takes its reader by stealth. Before I knew it, the steady, almost hypnotic rhythms of the narrator’s voice had ensnared me in a family story that grew deeper and more complex with every page. Above all, however, I admire Petterson’s psychological acumen—his ability to describe—without a hint of sentimentality—the depth and strangeness of human feeling.”
—Siri Hustvedt

“A novel of consistent beauty, subtlety and wisdom, but one that creeps up on the reader and gets unforgettably under your skin rather than announcing its virtues and its visions with a loud fanfare....Out Stealing Horses looks like a charming but modest chamber-piece. In retrospect—and this is a novel that strikes deep and lingers long—it feels more like some shattering literary symphony. Petterson’s fictional alchemy, served here by an impeccably paced and phrased translation, has transformed everyday materials into the brightest gold.”
—Boyd Tonkin, literary editor of the Independent

“Out Stealing Horses is the kind of novel you finish off with tears welling—not so much because the dreamlike narrative has come to its end, but because the prose at the heart of this story of love and acceptance is so overwhelmingly beautiful….American readers should feel fortunate to have this beautiful translation of Petterson’s work; finally, we are given the opportunity to step inside his graceful, deeply felt universe.”
—The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

“A novel with a distinctly Scandinavian tone…there is scant talk and much mystery.”
—Newsday

“[A] story as vast as the Norwegian tundra.”
—Publishers Weekly

“From its opening pages, this lyrical novel set in Norway holds you spellbound.”
—The Book Babes, Margo Hammond and Ellen Heltzel

“This starkly beautiful novel tells of a 67-year-old who retreats to eastern Norway to come to terms with the misadventure that ended his innocence.”
—Minnesota Monthly

“Horses is ultimately a testament to just how easily mellows can be harshed—to life’s hidden tripwires, strung everywhere and capable of catapulting anyone back down the bittersweet rabbit hole of stinging memory.” —Baltimore City Paper

“[A]n impressive novel of rare and exemplary moral courage.”
—Paul Binding, Independent on Sunday (UK)

“Out Stealing Horses is tinged with an autumnal sense of loss and the self-examination of an old man looking back on his life. Beckett’s Malone Dies is a clear influence, but Petterson is triumphantly his own man. This book is a minor masterpiece of death and delusion in a Nordic land.”
—The Guardian (UK)

“Although its tone is stoical, this is not a stark, despairing work….By the end, when all the pieces fall into place, we can see how elegantly Petterson has constructed matters, letting us live in a mystery we don’t know needs solving until the solution is presented.”
—Sunday Telegraph (UK)

“A miracle of a book.”
—The Irish Times

"A subtle, richly wrought, and tough-minded novel, one that Knut Hamsun himself would not have spurned.” —John Banville, The New York Review of Books

“Out Stealing Horses is as still and smooth and strong as a good liquor, and you feel its sad warmth long after.” —Tom Christie, LA Weekly

“The story is tough and graceful enough to please almost any reader.” —Benjamin Lytal, The New York Sun

“A great read steals in.” —Bonnie McCune, The Denver Post

“A compelling story.” —MOQ

“With their spare style and attention to the textures of everyday life, Petterson’s novels are worthy of the epithet Carver-esque.” —Ben Naparstek, The Australian

“Beneath the wintry surface of this marvelous book, you’ll uncover layers of mystery and sorrow.” —Jennifer Reese, Entertainment Weekly

“Explosive events in the father-son narrative merge with reverberations from the father’s wartime past to alter the connection irrevocably. The tension builds as Petterson’s narrative circles expertly back on itself.” —Bob Thompson, The Washington Post

“This small novel stunningly blends the exhilaration of youth with the reflections of age.” —Atlanta Peach

“It is going on my favorite list.” —Phil Jackson, LA Lakers Coach, San Antonio Express-News