On the Floor: published by Picador USA, June 2013
[On The Floor] plunges straight into the financial world’s heart of darkness. —Los Angeles Times
Even finance-phobic readers will find themselves drawn into the intrigue and high-stakes wheeling and dealing…. Campbell delivers a Back to the Future tour of a workplace long before Sheryl Sandberg was telling women how to lean in at the office. —The Washington Post
Of all the contemporary heroines, Geri Molloy might be the most badass. Watch out, Lisbeth Salander. —Marie Claire USA
..Campbell’s real achievement here is her heroine’s voice. Spirited, sardonic, wounded, funny, Geri remains compelling no matter how esoteric the material she’s discussing, or how annoying and punchable the guy she’s discussing it with. – Paul Murray in Slate
On the Floor really finds its legs when Geri gets caught in the middle of [a]contentious takeover of a defense contractor, resulting in shifting loyalties and backstabbing intrigue. There’s even an abduction thrown in to keep the pot boiling. It’s much what you’d find in any Stephen Frey bestseller, and in truth, the guilty pleasures here come from embracing the utterly expected.—Sam Sacks,The Wall Street Journal
On the Floor dramatizes the crucial moment in our recent history when the bluff and bluster of the pit gives way to the impersonal operation of exquisitely crafted algorithms.. a compelling psychological portrait of a woman whose professional success masks profound personal turmoil – Mark Kavanagh, The Millions
Part of what makes Irish author Aifric Campbell’s [On the Floor] work is her refusal to pity her characters… Her tough-talking, irreverent prose engenders an updated take on the Wall Street morality tale. —The Daily Beast
On the Floor’s appeal is broad….It’s that rare work of fiction in which the financial world functions as more than a mere backdrop.—Bloomberg
Campbell, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley, punctures the seamy darkness of banking with acute observations… Geri’s self-aware reenactment of Wall Street (a film the traders see as a ‘reconfirmation that greed is good and lunch is for wimps’) is a heart-pounding ride. —Publishers Weekly
Campbell knows the City and she writes like a demon…. An illuminating look at one woman as she tries to figure out what’s really important —Laurie Muchnick, Bloomberg
“In On the Floor, Campbell’s heroine becomes caught in a game of cat and mouse with a twisted mastermind, her career and soul at stake. She’s a cross between Sherman McCoy and Bridget Jones.”—John Coates, author of The Hour Between Dog and Wolf
So intelligent and well written… [A] deftly handled meditation on how we create value and what it means to be a person in a world always in flux… [I’d] recommend getting in on the ground floor and investing now in this talented novelist, whose stock is sure to rise in the years to come. —Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Confident, engaging, and incredibly readable… Recalling Bonfire of the Vanitiesand Wall Street, On the Floor is a work that throws us lock, stock, and barrel into the world of high finance…. a fascinating read—sometimes terrifying, often witty, always engagingly written. ..you can bank on Ms. Campbell to produce wonderful results in the future. —New York Journal of Books
Part of what makes Irish author Aifric Campbell’s [On the Floor] work is her refusal to pity her characters… Her tough-talking, irreverent prose engenders an updated take on the Wall Street morality tale. —The Daily Beast
a sparky novel set in a world she knew well, the brash, “loadsamoney” environment of an investment-bank trading floor in London in the late 1980s…a versatile, smart, highly readable writer. – Irish Times
“Aifric Campbell’s gripping novel is set in the tough world of the financial market and the high-octane trading floor, but it is about so much more than that. On the Floor is thrilling, morally searching, and beautifully written contemporary fiction, proof that the novel can be urgently relevant as well as utterly compelling.”—Joseph O’Connor, author of Star of the Sea and Ghost Light
great writing….As her macho colleagues freeze during the 11 taut minutes between flotation and salvation, maths genius Geri coolly holds her nerve and makes her name. In that moment she becomes someone else: one of the boys. – Sunday Independent
“On the Floor is a funny-yet-serious coming-of-age story about a young woman who finally grows up and takes control.”—The Independent (London)
Impressively constructed…A short, snappy, and ultrasmart drama.—Daily Mirror
…an energetic and illuminating read. The Independent, Mar 2012
“On the Floor is a riveting novel from a unique talent. Aifric Campbell effortlessly conjures the action and excitement of the trading room floor creating a novel that explores the consequences of risk taking and ultimately thrills from start to finish.”—Irish Tatler
pacy… well-written…, with authentic characters and an evocative narrative exploring the themes of avarice, loss and the personal costs associated with material success. – Irish Times
Campbell knows this world well, so it all feels authentic.”—Sunday Times
reviews: The Loss Adjustor (2010)
‘I love this book. It’s written with seriousness, lightness, intelligence and insight, but most of all with great beauty and presence.’
Joseph O’Connor
‘Sexy, sad, riven with longing, “The Loss Adjustor” confirms a talent of unusual promise.’
Nicholas Shakespeare
‘a subtle and haunting novel. Campbell writes beautifully.’ Daily Mail
‘a poignant novel… Campbell renders the inner voice of her narrator in graceful prose.’ Independent on Sunday
‘…a book that demands to be taken seriously, both because of its ambitions and the beauty of its writing. Campbell’s gifts and insight elevate it above the scores of other loss-grief-redemption noels…’
Irish Times Read full review
‘Campbell writes with lambent precision….a mesmerising study of a woman clinging to the knotted cord of adolescence… ‘
Guardian
‘Campbell’s style is lyrical, revealing sharp, important truths with mesmerising intensity…’
Daily Mail Read full review
‘Trust this tale, tactfully and sympathetically told.’
Irish Independent Read full review
‘The flawless depiction of a life destroyed by the devastating loss of a loved one is testament to her skill as a writer.’
Sunday Independent Read full review
‘A wild new wave of Irish writing.’ Sunday Independent April 2011
`Campbell allows her disturbing story to seep out slowly and to deliver unnerving punches in this extremely well-paced novel’
Mslexia
‘Full of beautiful writing… Aifric Campbell’s language is rich and exact; her characters painted in deft, tight strokes’
Irish Examiner
`Aifric Campbell’s absorbing second novel celebrates friendship past and present and the enduring hope of redemption’
Waterstone’s Books Quarterly
‘..a powerful and thought-provoking book.’ Tribune
‘…so far wonderful…’
tweeted Daisy Goodwin, Chair of Orange Prize 2010
…’a delight to read.’ Bookmunch
‘…you won’t want to put it down’ Bookbag
‘..a very good novel’ Tales from the Reading Room
‘…a well written, powerful book’ The lady loves books
reviews: The Semantics of Murder (2008)
‘An enthralling and intelligent thriller swirling with dark, beguiling shadows, The Semantics of Murder establishes Aifric Campbell as a storyteller of really immense gifts. She combines a unique sensibility with a prose of shimmering beauty. This is gripping, haunting work ‘
Joseph O’Connor
‘a marvellous, complex and satisfying novel.’
Sunday Tribune
‘a page-turner with panache by the bucketload’
Irish Times
‘clever and original…brave and ambitious. This novel is pitched at winning prizes.. Campbell is an interesting and welcome new voice. She writes with great style and observation .’
Sunday Independent
‘…A tautly written thriller of ideas that asks awkward questions about the ‘talking cure’ and its potential to blur fact with fiction.’
Financial Times
‘…enthralling murder tale… plot twists to keep the reader guessing until the very end… an involving, exciting read..’
Sunday Business Post
‘A profoundly original new writer. The Semantics of Murder leads us on a dark and thrilling quest through murderous spaces of the mind, in a prose of startling and inventive beauty.’
Stevie Davies
‘Campbell has a talent for direct and uncompromising character portrayal… as a novel of ideas, it delivers.’
The Irish Times
‘..a gripping tale of murder, sex and psychology… an incredibly stimulating read.’
Aesthetica
‘A major talent.’
Irish Independent
‘Astonishing and ruthless debut… the best book I have read in a long time.’
NRC Boeken
‘sharp, intelligent, cruel… of a quality that you meet in Ian McEwan’s best books’
De Groene Amsterdammer
‘This gripping psychological drama hooks the reader into a compelling labyrinth of sibling rivalry and stealthy passion… written with real verve and style.’
Patricia Duncker
‘A tense thriller.’
The Gloss
‘…intriguing from the start, well-paced and it ultimately packs a punch with an unnerving twist in the storyline.’
IMAGE