Reading in Public No. 55: Quick thoughts on the National Book Award fiction finalists

A brief dispatch from NYC

Nov 19, 2024

Hey readers!

I’m currently in NYC for the National Book Awards and I’m having the bookish time of my life. More to come on this incredible literary adventure, but today I wanted to share my thoughts in brief on the National Book Awards fiction finalists.

This is a great batch of books, you guys. And it’s a list that truly has something for everyone. While I appreciate a list that has a singular point of view or one with a clear thematic thread tying things together, it’s genuinely fun to have see a book list that celebrating different types of good books—and different ways that books can be good. Quiet and introspective? It’s here. Bombastic and shocking? Yep. We’ve got earnest, and sardonic, and grounded, and speculative, and historical. It’s fun!

I hope this is a list that readers are really paying attention, and even if you haven’t it’s not too late! Here are my quick thoughts on the books and which ones you should read.

James by Percival Everett. I know you’ve heard about this and seen it everywhere, and I am here to say that if you haven’t read it yet, please do. This is a book that is doing fantastic work on every level. If you like character-driven fiction, this is for you. If you want a strong plot where Things Are Happening, this is for you. If you want humor and philosophy, if you care about the classics, if you care about language, this book is for you. I think the consensus of readers is that this book is the favorite to win, but I really don’t know. I hope it does! But I’m terrible at predicting these things and I sometimes feel like judges like eschewing predictability. But whatever happens, this is one of the best books of the year and it’s a rare case where nearly everyone can agree about that. Just read it already!

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. This is another favorite of the year for me. The best words I have to describe this book are earnest and exuberant; it has so much heart. But the prose is also pitch-perfect and there’s just enough edge and snark so that it never fumbles into cheesy territory. It’s also a book about addiction and grief and dying and reckoning with the past. And here’s the thing: there are quite a few things about about Martyr! that I typically don’t like in my fiction. And yet Akbar is such a wordsmith and so intentional with his choices, that he won me over in every way. I can absolutely see Martyr! taking home the prize this year, and—if it does—I’ll be thrilled. If you like books that speak to the heart without sacrifice precise language and if you like messy characters who are striving (but sometimes failing) to do and be good, this one is for you.

All Fours by Miranda July. I am in the camp of people who loves this book, but it is absolutely not for everyone and I will be pretty shocked if this wins tomorrow. What I love about this being on the list (aside from just loving the book) is that perimenopause is having a moment this year and it’s cool to see a book exploring that so viscerally represented here—it’s timely! What I particularly enjoyed about this book is how embodied the protagonist is. This is a book that believes a person is their body and the way that body is seen and valued and how it is used is integral to the protagonist’s sense of self. This is also a fantastic book club book (hence the All Fours Group Chat hats you’ve been seeing all over Instagram) because it’s urgent in a way that makes readers evaluate their own lives and desires.

My Friends by Hisham Matar. I just finished this on the plane to NYC and I’m swooning over it. This is, put simply, a book about a man who can’t go home. The story about why he can’t go home is singular and timely and putting important events into context, and alongside that there’s a resonant human experience of feeling unmoored. I appreciated Matar’s exploration of how one goes about finding or creating home, through friends and literature and language, when home as one knows it is gone. I would be surprised if this book won tomorrow, but I think it’s fantastic and I’d be really happy for it. I want more people to read this so if you love quiet, introspective stories—especially ones that nod to the power of literature—this is a must-read.

Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda. I’m so glad I was able to fit this slim collection of 12 stories in before the award ceremony, because it is very good. The opening story sets a perfect unsettling tone and asks readers to consider what makes a person who they are and if it is possible to escape all of the lives and horrors that came before. It’s always hard to describe a short story collection, but I feel like I was under some sort of spell while reading it. Almost every time I started a story, I would think, “eh…this is going to be the one that’s not for me,” and by the end of each I was riveted. Aguda has a masterful way with words and the pacing of each story—and the collection as a whole—was remarkable. If you like eerie stories with a touch of otherworldliness, pick this one up.

Alright, your turn! Tell me in the comments what book you want to win, what you think will win, and what books from other categories you loved and adore. And I’ll be sharing some live thoughts and reactions during the ceremony on IG and in Notes so lots more to come!

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