Andrew Ervin

Philadelphia City Paper

My hometown Philadelphia City Paper had this to say:

Extraordinary Renditions (Coffee House Press), the debut novel from Philly native/onetime CP scribe Andrew Ervin, is not about America’s misdeeds in the war on terror, not explicitly. The cleverly constructed tale tells of Lajos Harkályi, a Jewish violin prodigy who escaped Budapest during WWII. Decades later, he returns as a famous composer to perform his new opera — and to visit his niece, a translator at one of the U.S.’s infamous black sites. It’s smart, moving and hits the sweet spot between political intrigue and musical inspiration. Expect similar vibes at its release party Saturday at Manayunk’s new Spiral Bookcase (Oct. 9,thespiralbookcase.com), where Rodney Anonymous’ 25 Cromwell Street will perform.