'Cullen writes with great affection about people and place, and imbues each story with tiny details that invite the reader literally into the characters' homes and lives. He also possesses a great sense of timing which means revelations from characters and plot twists pack a punch. This is a book well worth savouring over winter evenings.'
Annie Condon, Readings Monthly
'What Came Between is suburban drama drawn to an intimate scale. Cullen's dialogue is sharp and restrained, his subject the ordinary trials of ordinary people - infidelity and unemployment, ill health and new life ... It takes a particular talent to make the mundane seem extraordinary, and Cullen has it in spades.'
Cameron Woodhead, The Age
'In order that the reader might appreciate the subtle variations and vicissitudes that make Cullen's characterisation so impressive, What Came Between is a novel best savoured and read slowly so that its impressive threads might, over time, weave themselves together.'
The Courier Mail
'What Came Between is an affectionate, ambitious, multi-layered and realistic portrait of suburban Australian lives.'
Diane Becker, The Short Review
'Brilliantly titled, What Came Between is a ... poignant, often surprising collection of homespun meditations on ordinary people shaped by less than ordinary events. A nice ending leaves us with hope for people who demand to be cared about.'
Townsville Bulletin
'Patrick Cullen stood out as a fascinating short story writer and he continues to dazzle us with his storytelling.'
Frank Moorhouse
‘Luminous and compelling, Patrick Cullen's storytelling lures us into his brilliantly realised world.’
Paddy O’Reilly
'Patrick Cullen is a masterful storyteller and an exciting new voice in Australian fiction.’
Tony Birch
‘Patrick Cullen’s What Came Between is brilliant in conception, pitch-perfect in narrative voice, and complex in its vision of how we seek our deepest selves in the crush of the quotidian.’
Robert Olen Butler
‘Fascinating tales from one of the most original and intriguing short-story writers in Australia.’
Robert Drewe
'There is a constant swing between the significance of what is great and what is small, both phenomena being rendered in a level tone, with a sweet attention to detail.'
Carmel Bird
