A Slacker's Review of the National Book Awards

The 2019 National Book Award winner for fiction will be announced on November 20th. I rushed to read the ten nominees so I could infect you with my two-sentence opinions. The problem was that I also shuttled kids around, wrote, did laundry, cleaned house, cooked, and grocery shopped. Okay…I managed to binge-watch three seasons of Below Deck on Bravo, but I count that as research for a future story. My attention was divided; if a book didn't catch me early on, I wandered away. I'm ashamed of this short attention span of mine. I'm worried that I have no literary taste. But can you fault a girl for wanting a little tension and plot?

 What I liked:

 Blacklight by Kimberly King Parsons is a book of short stories parked on just the right side of weird. The language is sharp-voiced, concise, and breathtaking. I will revisit this book again.

 The Other Americans by Laila Lalami is my favorite type of novel, a narrative told from multiple POVs. Lalami weaves the work together with a focus on the characters’ connections, which are more important than their divisions.

 What I LOVED:

 The Need by Helen Phillips is my new favorite book. The short chapters end with such suspense it is impossible to stop reading. This is a realistic look at motherhood with a sci-fi angle that melted my brain. Read this! Also, if you loved this book, try Exit West by Moshin Hamid.

 Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner is funny, sexy, wild, and wonderful. While you are laughing, the book covers topics like marriage, sex, gender roles, wealth. Read this! If you like this deep dive into relationships, but without the humor, try Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

 These were okay:

 Trust Exercise by Susan Choi is a meta examination of fiction and truth. We follow the characters through their performing arts high school into adulthood. The book was okay, but the characters and their relationships fell flat for me. It seemed theme-heavy, and I think the craft sometimes suffered at the expense of the theme.

 On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is stunning but slow. Vuong was first published as a poet, and this novel is evidence of that background. I do feel like I will come back to this book when I have more time to soak in the poetic salve.

 I couldn’t finish these:

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, was narrated from a distance with flat characters. I had hope that I'd love this work, as so many other people did. It is set in a reform school in Florida that actually existed and touts a "surprise" ending. I just couldn't make it through.

 Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James, started with a deep dive into African myth and folklore. I hear this book is actually action-packed and gripping, but I didn't get too far. It felt like reading stories from the bible.

 I never started:

 This slacker never started Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips and Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. I look forward to cracking them open because both are finalists (along with Trust Exercise, and Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and The Other Americans).

Who are you cheering for?