The Center for Fiction revealed the shortlist for its First Novel Prize, with seven books contending for the award that recognizes a debut work of longform fiction published in the United States.
Rita Bullwinkel made the shortlist for Headshot, which was previously longlisted for the Booker Prize and selected by former President Barack Obama for his annual summer reading list.
Joseph Earl Thomas was named a finalist for God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer, while Morgan Talty made the shortlist for Fire Exit.
Clare Sestanovich was shortlisted for Ask Me Again, alongside Ruthvika Rao for The Fertile Earth, Mai Sennaar for They Dream in Gold, and Ledia Xhoga for Misinterpretation.
Judging this year’s award are two previous First Novel Prize winners, Raven Leilani and Tyriek White, along with literary critic Merve Emre and novelist Jonathan Lethem.
Nicole Caplain Kelly, writing programs manager at the Brooklyn-based Center for Fiction, said in a statement, “This year’s shortlist is a diverse collection of books but each has a kind of compression, emotional precision, and attention to voice that sets it apart. These are urgent, ambitious works that communicate their relevance with style and clarity.”
The First Novel Prize was established in 2006. Previous winners include Junot Díaz for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Karl Marlantes for Matterhorn, and Noor Naga for If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.
The winner of this year’s prize, which comes with a cash award of $15,000, will be announced on Dec. 10.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
