‘How We Are Translated is the most contemporary of novels; set somehow both in the now and in the distant past; in one city that could be many cities, and in two different languages, though also in defiance of language, with as much focus on the silences between words as the words themselves. It’s a novel that maintains just the right balance of oddity, intimacy and illumination. It’s a novel that anyone interested in the future of the English novel needs to read!’
— Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither

‘With echoes of Ali Smith and George Saunders, How We Are Translated explores themes of identity and intimacy with admirable sensitivity and wit.’

— Julianne Pachico, author of The Anthill

‘How We Are Translated is one of the gentlest and most patient, humane, and quirky things I have read in a long time: its speculative elements are like fond digressions that grow more substantial — the Translation Room being my favourite, somewhere between a hiding space and a wardrobe leading to Narnia — and more believable as you read. It’s really a story about love in its gentlest form. The language difference, which isn’t really a difference but a slowing-down and fond skewing of communication between people, means it’s also always a little bit out-of-focus, or weird, which is somehow unnerving in the sweetest way. Hugely original.’

— Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy

‘Our bodies and languages are made new to us again through Jessica Gaitán Johannesson’s wild and playful novel. Laying bare the absurdity of the idea of a common tongue, she takes us on an adventure through private and public languages — those which ebb and flow between lovers or arise out of necessity in a workplace obsessed with authenticity. How We Are Translated gets at the heart of how language holds us, tears at us, and can bring us close in spite of, or because of, its inevitable imperfections.’

— Saskia Vogel, author of Permission

‘How We Are Translated is a layered work about home, language, barriers, and belonging. Johannesson’s unusual and refreshing prose crackles with truth — burning along beautifully.’

— Alice Bishop, author of A Constant Hum