[2] The book was timed to be published within three weeks of the release of Joy Smith's proposal for the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.

"[6] University of Manitoba professor Joan Durrant praised Invisible Chains, calling it a powerful book.

[7] Chester Brown condemned Invisible Chains, saying that it purports "that johns are evil monsters."

In response, Brown wrote Paying for It, a graphic novel written "from the john's point of view, since of course, I don’t think of myself as an evil monster.

"[8] Perrin's book was nominated for a George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature,[9] but lost to One Story, One Song, an essay collection by Richard Wagamese.