[1] According to Book Marks, the book received a "positive" consensus, based on twenty critics: ten "rave", nine "positive", and one "mixed".
[8] In the November/December 2018 issue of Bookmarks, the book was scored four out of five.
The magazine's critical summary reads: "It's a story that keeps you guessing, and "this is what makes the novel compelling--it's unpredictable" (BookPage)".
[9] This Mournable Body was described by Alexandra Fuller of The New York Times as "another masterpiece,"[10] and by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma of The Guardian as "magnificent ... another classic".
[11] It has been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews,[12] Red Pepper,[13] The Times,[14] The Masters Review,[15] The Times Literary Supplement,[16] The Daily Telegraph,[17] Literary Review,[18] Verve,[19] Washington Independent Review of Books,[20] Star Tribune,[21] Radio New Zealand,[22] Tydskrif vir Letterkunde,[23] World Literature Today,[24] The Straits Times,[25] The Michigan Daily,[26] Chicago Tribune,[27] The Irish Times,[28] Daily Trust,[29] The Wire,[30] The New Yorker,[31] Zyzzyva,[32] Publishers Weekly[33] and The Gazette.