The National Book Awards nominations were announced the other day, and here’s how it breaks down for fiction:
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
Far North by Marcel Theroux
To be incredibly honest I’ve only read or heard of one of these, and that’s American Salvage. It’s an amazing collection of stories. To be even more honest, Bonnie Jo is awesome. She teaches in the MFA program I recently graduated from and I was lucky enough to be workshopped by her and to have a lot of fun times hanging out with her as well. And yes, I’m biased. But I also know that her book deserves it. Read THIS story that was in Diagram, and is collected in AS. If that doesn’t convince you, nothing will.
The titles alone make this one clear to me. I mean, maybe if Lark and Termite was Termite Wreckage or something it’d be close. Nope American Salvage is the way to go NBA people. And not just so I can say things like, “This one time when I was hanging out with National Book Award winner, Bonnie Jo Campbell,” although that’d be a cool perk.