[1] The novel is partially set in an unnamed museum and for inspiration, Cain visited the National Gallery in London and the Frick Collection in New York City.

[4] Cain had several drafts for the novel, and has referred to earlier versions of the book as "terrible".

[2] Isabel Berwick, writing in a review for the Financial Times, referred to the novel as "[...] a strange, short, beguiling book.

"[5] This sentiment was echoed in The New Yorker, which called the book "sparse" and "elliptical".

[3] Berwick grouped Cain's work with that of Jenny Offill and Ottessa Moshfegh, calling their styles "modern flat".