Death may be everywhere but The Dig is brilliantly alive; a profound, powerful and utterly absorbing portrayal of a subterranean rural world. - The Guardian

There is certainly a deliberate gnarled quality to the novel’s prose. Its language is slightly askew, forcing the reader to linger. - The New York Times

His ending is a little rushed, not quite matching the unforced flow of the rest of the narrative, but this flaw is minor. Jones has produced three previous novels. On the basis of The Dig alone there is no doubt that he is one of the most talented writers in Wales – or, for that matter, the rest of Britain. - The Independent

The Dig is deeply moving, but it is not sentimental.  (...) The Dig is more than a bleak portrait of what is now called the “rural economy”. It is a book about the essentials: life and death, cruelty and compassion. It is a book that will get in your bones, and haunt you. - Telegraph