Panic in a Suitcase

Quotes

“This is not only a wise, funny novel; it feels like the beginning of a thrilling career. Yelena Akhtiorskaya’s sentences plunge the reader headlong in to the energy, anxiety, frailty, and love of the Nasmertov family of Brooklyn and Odessa. She finds poetry in clamor and disorder, and she sees her characters from every angle, with a rare mix of clarity and compassion.” Chad Harbach, New York Times bestselling author

“Sentence after sentence, Panic in a Suitcase is infused with humor and poetry, as Akhtiorskaya’s characters emerge beautiful and hilarious and splendorous in all their failings. Her language and intelligence achieve what only great literature can do: transform what you know and love into something strange and new, making the world realign itself according to the writer’s sensibility. I’d read a take-out menu written by Yelena Akhtiorskaya, but Panic in a Suitcase is a humbling, astonishing debut. Get to it as soon as you can.” Aleksandar Hemon, New York Times bestselling author

“The kind of fiction that is richer than real life…charged with consistently imaginative language and great verve…Akhtiorskaya’s prose keeps the pace moving as quickly as any suspenseful plot could. On every page, she writes about people and things with close attention…This sparkling debut, though it stays close to home, suggests she can roam wherever she’d like.” New York Times

“Akhtiorskaya’s genius is her ability to throw off observations that sound—if they weren’t so witty—like lines from a folktale. Her first novel, Panic in a Suitcase, is equal parts borscht stew and Borscht Belt—an immigration comedy that can’t tell whether it’s leaving or coming to America.” Washington Post

“Nearly Nabokovian.” New York magazine

“Capturing the irritations and intricacies of family life with Nabokovian humor and wit…[Akhtiorskaya] gets at capital-T Truth without a hint of sentimentality, achieving the intangible literary goal of showing our oft-banal world in a familiar yet astonishing light.” Elle

“A virtuosic debut…A wry look at immigrant life in the global age and the gulfs between countries and generations that language, with its heady solace, can only sometimes bridge.” Vogue

“A delight. Peopled with smartly drawn, humorously caricatured characters and packed with clever, evocative description, Panic in a Suitcase is a charming, chaotic read.” Huffington Post

“Panic in a Suitcase isn’t just remarkable as a literary debut but also as a uniquely American work of fiction. It’s a testament to how diverse and unexpected the Brooklyn literary scene can be, but more than that, it’s a testament to Akhtiorskaya’s wit, generosity, and immense talent as a young American author.” NPR Books

“Sharply observed and very funny…a multitude of exuberant set pieces about modern émigré life, animated by Akhtiorskaya’s insider knowledge and her offbeat way with words.” NPR’s Fresh Air

Awards

• Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week
• AudioFile Earphones Award
• New York Times   Bestseller
• New York Times Notable Book