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Literary bloggers reviewed the book, with
Pamreader calling it "an outstanding first novel", Mardi Stewart of New Books Magazine calling it "must read" and Alex Wood of the Caledonian Mercury referring to de la Mer's "fine grasp of character and ... perceptive engagement with serious issues."
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was more impressed, writing "It had me gripped from the off, and by its close I felt I'd actually been willingly dragged kicking and screaming though Nina's fictional world, and emerged a more rounded and less judgmental human being for my efforts," adding, "Novel of the year? I've yet to read a
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wrote that "De la Mer does an excellent job producing authentic voices ... The depiction of troubled masculinity in an urban setting is something we have long associated with male
Scottish writers, and it’s encouraging to see a woman take this subject on board."
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called it "as vicariously thrilling in its portrayal of the hedonistic highs as it is honest in its depiction of how transient and empty those good times are".
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s
Catherine Taylor took a more equivocal line, praising the novel's "electric" narrative but disliking the pop-cultural references. Mike Cobley of
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during the early 1990s. The two are quickly bored by the daily comings and goings of military life and begin to take part in the activities of the
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said that it was "Mesmerizing. And kind of frightening that a female writer can crawl so far into the male psyche", while
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of
Scottish author Nina de la Mer. It was first published in the UK on 26 August 2011 by Brighton-based publishing house
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tweeted that the book was "very original, with really credible characters and a great sense of time and place", and
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The novel was reviewed in the
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The book follows Cal and Manny, two
British army chefs stationed in
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De la Mer also received praise from her peers; novelist
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160:remarking, "It's about time we had a female
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124:of the 1990s and peacetime life in the
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242:"The Brighton Magazine - 4a.m. Review"
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306:"Review of 4 a.m. by Nina De La Mer"
214:Taylor, Catherine (26 August 2011).
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216:"First novels roundup – reviews"
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191:Christopher Brookmyre
170:The Brighton Magazine
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362:www.alexwood.org.uk
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312:on 13 October 2016
252:on 2 February 2016
152:Critical reception
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289:22 October
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201:References
187:Ian Rankin
183:John Niven
37:John Niven
100:751657838
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342:17 April
222:. London
146:Hamburg
138:Germany
112:is the
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109:4 a.m.
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72:Pages
369:2016
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