{"id":230848,"date":"2023-12-14T04:52:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T09:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/?p=230848"},"modified":"2024-01-03T10:28:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T15:28:39","slug":"the-award-winning-novels-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/the-award-winning-novels-of-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The Award-Winning Novels of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another year, another crop of newly-minted literary honorees.<\/p>\n

From the Pulitzer to the Booker, the Nebula to the Edgar, here are the winners of the biggest book prizes of 2023.<\/p>\n

Congratulations to all!<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awarded for distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
\nPrize money: $15,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Trust<\/a><\/p>\n

Trust<\/em><\/a> by Hernan Diaz<\/strong>
\n(Riverhead)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c[An] enthralling tour de force \u2026 Each story talks to the others, and the conversation is both combative and revelatory \u2026 As an American epic, Trust<\/em> gives The Great Gatsby<\/em> a run for its money \u2026 Diaz\u2019s debut, In the Distance<\/em>, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN\/Faulkner Award. Trust<\/em> fulfills that book\u2019s promise, and then some \u2026 Wordplay is Trust<\/em>\u2019s currency \u2026 In Diaz\u2019s accomplished hands we circle ever closer to the black hole at the core of Trust<\/em> \u2026 Trust<\/em> is a glorious novel about empires and erasures, husbands and wives, staggering fortunes and unspeakable misery \u2026 He spins a larger parable, then, plumbing sex and power, causation and complicity. Mostly, though, Trust<\/em> is a literary page-turner, with a wealth of puns and elegant prose, fun as hell to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Hamilton Cain (Oprah Daily<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/a><\/p>\n

Demon Copperhead<\/em><\/a> by Barbara Kingsolver<\/strong>
\n(Harper)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI already know: My favorite novel of 2022 is Barbara Kingsolver\u2019s Demon Copperhead.<\/em> Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love \u2026 In a feat of literary alchemy, Kingsolver uses the fire of that boy\u2019s spirit to illuminate\u2014and singe\u2014the darkest recesses of our country \u2026 Kingsolver has reconceived the story in the fabric of contemporary life. Demon Copperhead<\/em> is entirely her own thrilling story, a fierce examination of contemporary poverty and drug addiction tucked away in the richest country on Earth \u2026 There\u2019s the saving grace. This would be a grim melodrama if it weren\u2019t for Demon\u2019s endearing humor, an alloy formed by his unaffected innocence and weary cynicism \u2026 With Demon Copperhead,<\/em> she\u2019s raised the bar even higher, providing her best demonstration yet of a novel\u2019s ability to simultaneously entertain and move and plead for reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Ron Charles (The Washington Post<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists: <\/strong>Vauhini Vara, The Immortal King Rao<\/em><\/a> (W. W. Norton & Company)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recognizes an outstanding work of literary fiction by a United States citizen.<\/em>
\nPrize money: $10,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n

Blackouts<\/em><\/a> by Justin Torres<\/strong>
\n(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTorres\u2019s lyrical new novel, Blackouts,<\/em> these two forms\u2014erasure poetry and queer history\u2014collide to create one epic conversation between a pivotal 20th-century queer sexology text and two unreliable queer Puerto Rican narrators \u2026 The supreme pleasure of the book is its slow obliteration of any firm idea of reality\u2014a perfect metaphor for the delirious disorientation that comes with learning queer history as an adult \u2026 Torres haunts this book full of ghosts like a ghost himself, and with this novel, he has passed the haunting on, creating the next link in a queer chain from Jan to Juan to nene to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Hugh Ryan (The New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chain-Gang All-Stars<\/em><\/a> (Pantheon)
\nAaliyah Bilal, Temple Folk<\/em><\/a> (Simon & Schuster)
\nPaul Harding, This Other Eden<\/em><\/a> (W. W. Norton & Company)
\nHanna Pylv\u00e4inen, The End of Drum-Time<\/em><\/a> (Henry Holt & Company)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BOOKER PRIZE<\/b><\/p>\n

Awarded for the best original novel written in the English language and published in the UK.<\/em>
\nPrize money:\u00a0\u00a350,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Prophet<\/a><\/p>\n

Prophet Song<\/em><\/a> by Paul Lynch<\/strong>
\n(Atlantic Monthly Press)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf there was ever a crucial book for our current times, it\u2019s Paul Lynch\u2019s Prophet Song<\/em> \u2026 The book is also reminiscent of Anna Burns\u2019s Milkman<\/em> in that it\u2019s an important story aching to be told, heavy with the reality it bears. While Burns wrote of sexual harassment, Lynch\u2019s dystopian Ireland reflects the reality of war-torn countries, where refugees take to the sea to escape persecution on land. Prophet Song echoes the violence in Palestine, Ukraine and Syria, and the experience of all those who flee from war-torn countries. This is a story of bloodshed and heartache that strikes at the core of the inhumanity of western politicians\u2019 responses to the refugee crisis \u2026 Lynch\u2019s message is crystal clear: lives the world over are experiencing upheaval, violence, persecution. Prophet Song is a literary manifesto for empathy for those in need and a brilliant, haunting novel that should be placed into the hands of policymakers everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Aim\u00e9e Walsh (The Observer<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience<\/em><\/a> (Knopf Canada)
\nJonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You<\/em><\/a> (MCD)
\nPaul Harding, This Other Eden<\/em><\/a> (W. W. Norton & Company)
\nChetna Maroo, Western Lane<\/em><\/a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
\nPaul Murray, The Bee Sting<\/em><\/a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awarded for a single book in English translation published in the UK.
\nPrize money: \u00a350,000, divided equally between the author and the translator<\/em>
\n\"Georgi<\/p>\n

Time Shelter<\/em><\/a> by Georgi Gospodinov, tr. from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel<\/strong>
\n(Liveright)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Gospodinov\u2026is a nostalgia artist \u2026 His books are preoccupied with memory, its ambiguous pleasures and its wistful, melancholy attraction. He is most drawn to minor and personalized details \u2026 The book flows between the remembered and the purely imagined as easily as it wanders through time \u2026 The novel rambles among elaborations of its fantastical conceit, flashbacks to the narrator\u2019s youth, and meditations on the current condition of Europe with no apparent cohesive structure. Caveat lector: This makes for an extremely diffuse and piecemeal book. But the absence of a stabilizing center of gravity is symptomatic of a continent still recovering from the hammer-blows of World War II and the Cold War \u2026 Mr. Gospodinov also grasps the dangers of escapism \u2026 This difficult but rewarding novel concludes with an image of Europe brought to the brink of renewed conflict\u2014an abstraction that recent events have imbued with the terrible force of reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Sam Sacks (The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boulder<\/em><\/a> by Eva Baltasar, tr. from Spanish by Julia Sanches (And Other Stories)
\nWhale<\/em><\/a> by Cheon Myeong-kwan, tr. from Korean by Chi-Young Kim (Archipelago)
\nThe Gospel According to the New World<\/em><\/a> by Maryse Cond\u00e9, tr. from French by (World Editions)
\nStanding Heavy<\/em><\/a> by GauZ\u2019, tr. from French by Frank Wynne (Biblioasis)
\nStill Born<\/em><\/a> by Guadalupe Nettel, tr. from Spanish by Rosalind Harvey (Bloomsbury)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given annually to honor outstanding writing and to foster a national conversation about reading, criticism, and literature. Judged by the\u00a0volunteer directors of the NBCC who are 24 members serving rotating three-year terms, with eight elected annually by the voting members, namely \u201cprofessional book review editors and book reviewers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bliss<\/p>\n

Bliss Montage<\/em><\/a> by Ling Ma<\/strong>
\n(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe strangeness of living in a body is exposed, the absurdity of carrying race and gender on one\u2019s face, all against the backdrop of an America in ruin \u2026 Ma\u2019s meticulously-crafted mood and characterization \u2026 Ma\u2019s gift for endings is evident \u2026 Ma masterfully captures her characters\u2019 double consciousness, always seeing themselves through the white gaze, in stunning and bold new ways \u2026 Even the weaker stories in the book\u2026are redeemed by Ma\u2019s restrained prose style, dry humor, and clever gut-punch endings. But all this technical prowess doesn\u2019t mean the collection lacks a heart. First- and second-generation Americans who might have been invisible for most of their lives are seen and held lovingly in Ma\u2019s fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Bruna Dantas Lobato (Astra<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Percival Everett, Dr No<\/em><\/a> (Graywolf)
\nJon Fosse with Damion Searls (trans.), A New Name<\/em><\/a> (Transit Books)
\nMieko Kawakami with Sam Bett and David Boyd (trans.), All the Lovers in the Night<\/em><\/a> (Europa Editions)
\nNamwali Serpell, The Furrows<\/a><\/em> (Hogarth)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

KIRKUS PRIZE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chosen from books reviewed by\u00a0<\/em>Kirkus Reviews\u00a0that earned the Kirkus Star.<\/em>
\nPrize money: $50,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store<\/em> by James McBride<\/strong>
\n(Riverhead)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think this novel is beginning to sound too nice, too pat, you don\u2019t know McBride\u2019s writing. He crowds the chaos of the world into his sentences \u2026 McBride\u2019s roving narrator is, by turns, astute, withering, giddy, damning and jubilant. He has a fine appreciation for the human comedy \u2026 McBride looks squarely at savage truths about race and prejudice, but he also insists on humor and hope. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store<\/em> is one of the best novels I\u2019ve read this year. It pulls off the singular magic trick of being simultaneously flattening and uplifting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Maureen Corrigan (NPR<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jamel Brinkley, Witness<\/em><\/a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
\nElanor Catton, Birnam Wood<\/em><\/a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
\nKelly Link, White Cat, Black Dog<\/em><\/a> (Random House)
\nPaul Murray, The Bee Sting<\/em><\/a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
\nJesmyn Ward, Let Us Descend<\/em><\/a> (Scribner)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WOMEN\u2019S PRIZE FOR FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/a><\/p>\n

Demon Copperhead<\/em><\/a> by Barbara Kingsolver<\/strong>
\n(Harper)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacqueline Crooks, Fire Rush <\/em><\/a>(Viking)
\nLouise Kennedy, Trespasses<\/em><\/a> (Riverhead)
\nPriscilla Morris, Black Butterflies<\/em><\/a> (Knopf)
\nMaggie O\u2019Farrell, The Marriage Portrait<\/em><\/a> (Knopf)
\nLaline Paull, Pod<\/em><\/a> (Pegasus)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PEN\/<\/strong>FAULKNER AWARD<\/b><\/p>\n

Awarded to the author of the year\u2019s best work of fiction by a living American citizen.<\/em>
\nPrize money: $15,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Book of Goose<\/em><\/a> by Yiyun Li<\/strong>
\n(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEerie and intimate \u2026 Though the literary ruse drives its plot, The Book of Goose<\/em> is mainly concerned with the lack of personal agency afforded to two very different girls\u2014and how this shapes their destinies. Both want more than their village can offer, but until they write their book, only Fabienne has some power in her dealings with adults\u2014because she scares them. When their book\u2019s success gives Agn\u00e8s a measure of control over her future, the friendship takes a stark turn. Not since John Knowles\u2019 A Separate Peace<\/em> has a novel wrung such drama from two teens standing face to face on a tree branch \u2026 In prose shorn of unnecessary modifiers and frills of any kind, Li capably depicts the way a strong-willed sadist can browbeat a peer into subservience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Kevin Canfield (The Star Tribune<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You<\/em><\/a> (MCD)
\nLaura Warrell, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>(Pantheon)
\nDione Irving, The Islands<\/em><\/a> (Catapult)
\nKathryn Harlan, Fruiting Bodies<\/a><\/em> (W. W. Norton & Company)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PEN\/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE FOR DEBUT FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awarded to an\u00a0exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut work represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise.<\/em>
\nPrize money: $25,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Morgan<\/p>\n

Night of the Living Rez<\/em><\/a> by Morgan Talty<\/strong>
\n(Tin House Books)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTalty depicts the relationship between David and Paige perfectly\u2014the siblings clearly care for each other; it\u2019s evident beneath the bickering and the long periods when they don\u2019t see each other \u2026 The story ends with both mother and son experiencing terrifying medical emergencies; it\u2019s almost excruciating to read, but it\u2019s undeniably powerful, and, in its own way, beautiful \u2026 Talty\u2019s prose is flawless throughout; he writes with a straightforward leanness that will likely appeal to admirers of Thom Jones or Denis Johnson. But his style is all his own, as is his immense sense of compassion. Night of the Living Rez<\/em> is a stunning look at a family navigating their lives through crisis\u2014it\u2019s a shockingly strong debut, sure, but it\u2019s also a masterwork by a major talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Michael Schaub (The Star Tribune<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sindya Bhanoo, Seeking Fortune Elsewhere<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Catapult)
\nMeron Hadero, A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Restless Books)
\nMorgan Thomas, Manywhere<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Picador)
\nJasmine Sawers, The Anchored World <\/em><\/a>(Rose Metal Press)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awards established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. Administered by the American Library Association.<\/em><\/p>\n

Prize money: $5,000 (winner), $1,500 (finalists)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Julie<\/p>\n

The Swimmers<\/a><\/em> by Julie Otsuka<\/strong>
\n(Knopf)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBrief quotes give the text the veneer of nonfiction, and keep the narrative at arm\u2019s length, rather than pull you close as fiction often attempts to \u2026 We leave the pool in the novel\u2019s second half, and are firmly anchored aboveground with Alice, diagnosed with dementia, and her unnamed daughter \u2026 Otsuka\u2019s prose is powerfully subdued: She builds lists and litanies that appear unassuming, even quotidian, until the paragraph comes to an end, and you find yourself stunned by what she has managed \u2026 It\u2019s in [the] dissonance that the novel\u2019s halves begin to meaningfully cohere \u2026 The puzzling narrative structure makes a kind of poetic sense as myth \u2026 The Swimmers<\/em> makes an archetypal story wholly personal \u2026 In a time of monotony and chaos, when death is as concrete as it is unimaginable, and when cracks can and do appear in the pool for no discernible reason, The Swimmers<\/em> is an exquisite companion. Though it doesn\u2019t answer the unanswerable, the novel\u2019s quiet insistence resonates: that it is our perfectly ordinary proclivities that make us who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Rachel Khong (The New York Times Book Review<\/a><\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Santos Donaldson, Greenland<\/em><\/a> (Amistad Press)
\nMorgan Talty, Night of the Living Rez <\/i><\/a>(Tin House Books)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

An international literary award presented each year for a novel written in English or translated into English.<\/em>
\nPrize money:\u00a0\u20ac100,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Marzahn,<\/p>\n

Marzahn, Mon Amour<\/em> by Katja Oskamp, trans. by Jo Heinrich
\n(Peirene Press)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery now and again, you come across a book you instantly know you must read and will devour \u2026\u00a0Oskamp tells their stories with a refreshing compassion\u2014no poking fun at the former GDR as with Thomas Brussig and co., nor the anger and outrage of Jana Hensel. Oskamp is a curious observer and gleans intimate insights into the lives of the many who carried on as best they could when things got tough. Chapter by chapter, we are invited into their private sphere and bear witness not only to their tragedies, illnesses, and bereavements but also to their triumphs and their great fortitude. Marzahn, mon amour\u00a0<\/em>captures a piece of modern German history and brings it right down to the human level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Catherine Venner (World Literature Today<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land<\/em><\/a> (Scribner)
\nKim Th\u00fay (translated from French by Sheila Fischman), Em<\/em><\/a> (Blackstone)
\nIvana Sajko (translated from Croatian by Mima Simic), Love Novel<\/em><\/a> (Biblioasis)
\nFernanda Melchor (translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes), Paradais<\/em><\/a> (New Directions)
\nPercival Everett, The Trees<\/em><\/a> (Graywolf)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE<\/strong><\/p>\n

An annual award presented by The Center for Fiction, a non-profit organization in New York City, for the best debut novel.<\/em>
\nPrize money: $10,000<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Tyriek<\/a><\/p>\n

We Are a Haunting<\/em><\/a> by Tyriek White<\/strong>
\n(Astra House)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA gorgeous novel about loss, survival and community \u2026 The structure of We Are a Haunting<\/em> is inventive; the switching of viewpoints makes it feel like an extended conversation between Colly and Key \u2026 White\u2019s characters are masterfully drawn, and his use of language is brilliant \u2026 This is a stunningly original and beautiful novel of devotion, a book that gives and gives as it asks us what it means to be part of a family, of a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Michael Schaub (NPR<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Acevedo, Family Lore<\/em><\/a> (HarperCollins \/ Ecco)
\nChristine Byl, Lookout<\/em><\/a> (Deep Vellum \/ A Strange Object)
\nEskor David Johnson,\u00a0Pay As You Go<\/em><\/a> (McSweeney\u2019s)
\nJamila Minnicks, Moonrise Over New Jessup<\/em><\/a> (Hachette \/ Algonquin Books)
\nTracey Rose Peyton, Night Wherever We Go<\/em><\/a> (HarperCollins \/ Ecco)
\nEsther Yi, Y\/N<\/em><\/a> (Astra House)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES TIMES <\/i>BOOK PRIZE<\/b><\/p>\n

Recognizes outstanding literary works as well as champions new writers.
\n<\/em>Prize money: $1,000<\/em><\/p>\n

(ART SEIDENBAUM AWARD FOR FIRST FICTION)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Return of Faraz Ali<\/em><\/a> by Aamina Ahmad<\/strong>
\n(Riverhead)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith each character\u2019s journey, author Ahmad explores the multifaceted nature of longing and loss and what the loneliness they engender is all for. This novel has everything a reader could ask for: a sizzling, noirlike plot; political intrigue juxtaposed with a rich intergenerational family saga; capacious, conflicted characters, including women who may be marginalized by society but are masters of their own narratives; and sublime sentences. A debut novelist, Ahmad manages this complexity seamlessly \u2026 A feat of storytelling not to be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Kirkus<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maayan Eitan, Love<\/em><\/a> (Penguin)
\nSidik Forfana, Stories from the Tenants Downstairs<\/em><\/a> (Scribner)
\nOscar Hokeah, Calling for a Blanket Dance<\/em><\/a> (Algonquin)
\nMorgan Thomas, Manywhere<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Picador)<\/p>\n

(FICTION)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Solenoid\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solenoid<\/em><\/a> by\u00a0Mircea C\u0103rt\u0103rescu, tr. Sean Cotter<\/strong>
\n(Deep Vellum)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026a novel made from other novels, a meticulously borrowed piece of hyperliterature. Kleist\u2019s cosmic ambiguity, the bureaucratic terror of Kafka, the enchantments of Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez and Bruno Schulz\u2019s labyrinths are all recognizable in C\u0103rt\u0103rescu\u2019s anecdotes, dreams and journal entries. That fictive texture is part and parcel of the novel\u2019s sense of unreality, which not only blends the pedestrian and the bizarre, but also commingles many features of the literary avant-garde. Although the narrator himself is largely critical of literature \u2026 he also affirms the possibility inherent in the \u2018bitter and incomprehensible books\u2019 he idolizes. In this way, he plays both critic and apologist throughout, a delicious dialectic whose final, ravishing synthesis exists in the towering work of Solenoid itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Dustin Illingsworth (The New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anna Dorn, Exalted<\/em><\/a> (Unnamed Press)
\nJames Hannaham, Didn\u2019t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta<\/em><\/a> (Little, Brown and Company)
\nJamil Jan Kochai, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories<\/em><\/a> (Viking)
\nFernanda Melchor (translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes), Paradais<\/em><\/a> (New Directions)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EDGAR AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by the Mystery Writers of America, honoring the best in crime and mystery fiction.<\/em><\/p>\n

(BEST NOVEL)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Notes<\/a><\/p>\n

Notes on an Execution<\/em><\/a> by Danya Kukafka<\/strong>
\n(William Morrow and Company)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 poetic and mesmerizing \u2026 It\u2019s an impossible weight for a mother to imagine, but Kukafka handles it with grace and empathy and terrible, enduring beauty \u2026 a victim-forward narrative that is a relief to read after years of serial killer hagiography. It\u2019s also no less thrilling \u2026 a career-defining novel\u2014powerful, important, intensely human, and filled with a unique examination of tragedy, one where the reader is left with a curious emotion: hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Tod Goldberg (USA Today<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

John Darnielle, Devil House<\/em><\/a> (MCD)
\nGabino Iglesias, The Devil Takes You Home<\/em><\/a> (Mulholland Books)
\nNita Prose, The Maid<\/em><\/a> (Ballantine)
\nKellye Garrett, Like a Sister<\/em><\/a> (Mulholland Books)
\nChuck Hogan, Gangland<\/em><\/a> (Grand Central Publishing)<\/p>\n

(BEST FIRST NOVEL)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Don't<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Know Tough<\/em><\/a> by Eli Cranor<\/strong>
\n(Soho Crime)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t Know Tough<\/em> takes the adage of \u2018Faith, Family, and Football\u2019 and reveals it to be a vicious canard, or at least a decent cover for the common failings of god and men, the violence on the field an acceptable proxy for the violence that exists behind closed doors.\u00a0A major work from a bright, young talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Tod Goldberg (USA Today<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Erin E. Adams, Jackal<\/em><\/a> (Bantam)
\nRamona Emerson, Shutter<\/em><\/a> (Soho Crime)
\nKatie Gutierrez, More Than You\u2019ll Ever Know<\/em><\/a> (William Morrow & Company)
\nGrace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief<\/em><\/a> (Tiny Reparations Books)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NEBULA AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for the best science fiction or fantasy novel.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Babel,<\/p>\n

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators\u2019 Revolution<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by R. F. Kuang<\/strong>
\n(Harper Voyager)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBabel<\/em> has earned tremendous praise and deserves all of it. It\u2019s Philip Pullman\u2019s The Golden Compass<\/em> by way of N.K. Jemisin\u2019s The Fifth Season<\/em>: inventive and engaging, passionate and precise. Kuang is fiercely disciplined even when she\u2019s playful and experimental: In an author\u2019s note, she invites readers to \u2018remind yourself this is a work of fiction\u2019 before proceeding to footnote the text with the vicious hindsight of a historian. Like the silver bars at its heart\u2014like empires and academic institutions both\u2014Babel<\/em> derives its power from sustaining a contradiction, from trying to hold in your head both love and hatred for the charming thing that sustains itself by devouring you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Amal El-Mohtar\u00a0(The New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Travis Baldree, Legends & Lattes<\/em><\/a> (Tor Books)
\nNicola Griffith, Spear<\/em><\/a> (Tordotcom)
\nT. Kingfisher, Nettle & Bone<\/em><\/a> (Tor Books)
\nTamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth<\/em><\/a> (Tordotcom)
\nRay Nayler, The Mountain in the Sea<\/em><\/a> (MCD)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HUGO AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awarded for the best science fiction or fantasy story of 40,000 words or more published in English or translated in the prior calendar year.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"T.<\/p>\n

Nettle & Bone<\/em><\/a> by T. Kingfisher<\/strong>
\n(Tor Books)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 clever and bold-hearted \u2026 Marra\u2019s hard-fought journey from third-string princess to hero will delight fantasy readers. Kingfisher\u2019s signature offbeat humor remains as entertaining as ever, and her treatment of domestic abuse is filled with compassion and dignity. This rollicking feminist fairy tale is filled with redemption, community and courage, its dark passages the road to a satisfyingly uplifting endgame.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Jaclyn Fulwood (Shelf Awareness<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

John Scalzi, The Kaiju Preservation Society<\/em><\/a> (Tor Books)
\nTravis Baldree, Legends & Lattes<\/em><\/a> (Tor Books)
\nTamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth<\/em><\/a> (Tordotcom)
\nSilvia Moreno-Garcia, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau<\/em><\/a> (Del Rey Books)
\nMary Robinette Kowal, The Spare Man<\/em><\/a> (Tor Books)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BRAM STOKER AWARD<\/b><\/p>\n

Presented by the Horror Writers Association for \u201csuperior achievement\u201d in horror writing for novels.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Gabino<\/a><\/p>\n

The Devil Takes You Home<\/em><\/a> by Gabino Iglesias<\/strong>
\n(Mulholland Books)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 riveting \u2026 a barrio noir that invites readers to consider the depths of darkness in this world, its material effects, and the cycles of violence we both willingly and perforce enter into \u2026 written in both English and Spanish\u2014the former outweighs the latter, and any Spanish dialogue too important to the plot or mood is translated\u2014and takes readers on a journey to hell and back. Whether hell is the American racism, the Mexican cartel industry, Mario\u2019s grief and increasing comfort with violence, or all of the above, it works \u2026 The mix of religious, superstitious, and supernatural elements add a dimension to the novel that heightens its horror, but also its social commentary \u2026 may not be a cheerful book, but it still allows glimpses of love, moments of connection, and glimmers of beauty to exist. Even if those can\u2019t save us, they point toward what, with some effort and luck, just might.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/strong>Ilana Masad (NPR<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Finalists:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alma Katsu, The Fervor<\/em><\/a> (G. P. Putnam\u2019s Sons)
\nGwendolyn Kiste, Reluctant Immortals<\/em><\/a> (Gallery \/ Saga Press)
\nJosh Malerman, Daphne<\/em><\/a> (Del Rey Books)
\nCatriona Ward, Sundial<\/em><\/a> (Tor Nightfire)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another year, another crop of newly-minted literary honorees. From the Pulitzer to the Booker, the Nebula to the Edgar, here are the winners of the biggest book prizes of 2023. Congratulations to all! * PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION Awarded for distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":873,"featured_media":230859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43201,43069,11,43070,43092],"tags":[63295,90002,15654],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Booker-Prize-trophy.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5rKFr-Y3m","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/873"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}