"[An] extraordinary articulation of the lingering effects of trauma…. In the end, what leaves one in humbled awe of The Little Red Chairs is O'Brien's dexterity, her ability to shift without warning – like life – from romance to horror, from hamlet to hell, from war crimes tribunal to midsummer night's dream. And through it all, she embeds the most perplexing moral challenge ever conceived…. At a time when our best writers are such delightfully showy stylists, O'Brien…practices a darker, more subtle magic. Surprise and transformation lurk in even the smallest details, the most ordinary moments."¯Ron Charles, Washington Post