[1] Dhanyasree M, writing in OneIndia, says "A tone of wistful melancholy and incidents with a touch of keenly observed comedy makes the characterization in this novel more special.
"[2] Kit Reed, writing in The New York Times, says "A genial, meandering tale filled with false alarms and diversions, The Better Man is slowed by loops in the story, by abandoned threads of plot.
"[3] Kirkus Reviews writes, "Nair's prose can tend to the purple; her strength lies in gentle, keenly observed comedy rather than tearful melodrama," and describes the work as "Overall, a warmly affecting novel whose depiction of small-town life strikes a universal chord.
Critics have opined otherwise..."[5] Another review in The Hindu said "Anita Nair's first book, The Better Man, was a finely structured novel set in a small Kerala village.
Anita Nair not only has a wonderful knowledge of life in the village, but shows an almost Dostoevskian feeling for the undercurrents of consciousness, as Mukundan seeks and finds redemption.