Shelter in Place

There is an art to writing about unlikeable people while still engaging the reader to invest in their indulgence, vanity and, yes, happiness. Leavitt unfurls a droll drawing-room pastiche that evokes la dolce vita as Seinfeldepisode … It’s Aaron Sorkin on steroids. And surprisingly compelling ... Leavitt, cleverly crafting a New Yorker cartoon in words, proves there is still some navel-gazing worth reading. * New York Times Book Review *
An amusing satire ... The joy lies in how gently Leavitt lets air out of the catty micro-climates his characters inhabit, from publishing to interior design -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Mail *
A wickedly funny and emotionally expansive novel about all the bewildering ways we seek solace from the people and things that surround us -- Jenny Offill
Very funny and unexpected, a material response to our times, plush as velvet -- Rachel Cusk
Shelter in Place is a poignant, funny, wonderful novel, a pleasure and a joy -- Donald Antrim
I’ve long been a fan of David Leavitt’s work, for its range, its depth, its smarts and its humour. He is a phenomenal and prescient writer -- Justin Torres
Leavitt is a master stylist ... An important writer. He is the rarest of all birds – a man of letters -- Edmund White
David Leavitt is a masterful writer and his dialogue, his innate sense of the rhythm of how people talk to each other, both in public and in private, is absolutely incredible. It's impossible not to be pulled into this novel, to see the epicentre of chaos in the lives of these characters, and listen to them try to talk themselves into a new imagining of the world. With precision and humour, Leavitt has created something amazing -- Kevin Wilson, author of 'Nothing to See Here'