NOTE: This article is a republication- Source: Kirkus Reviews (by Michael Schaub).
The Center for Fiction announced the longlist for its 2023 First Novel Prize, with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars, Elizabeth Acevedo’s Family Lore, and Thao Thai’s Banyan Moon among the books in contention for the award.
The longlist spans 25 titles, and includes some of the year’s buzziest novels, including Olivia Wolfgang-Smith’s Glassworks, Kashana Cauley’s The Survivalists, and DK Nnuro’s Barack Obama–approved What Napoleon Could Not Do.
Leigh McMullan Abramson’s A Likely Story made the longlist, along with Nigar Alam’s Under the Tamarind Tree, Christine Byl’s Lookout, Lakiesha Carr’s An Autobiography of Skin, Gina Chung’s Sea Change, Kim Coleman Foote’s Coleman Hill, Mimi Herman’s The Kudzu Queen, Vibhuti Jain’s Our Best Intentions, and Eskor David Johnson’s Pay as You Go.
Other nominated books are Jeffrey Dale Lofton’s Red Clay Suzie, John Milas’ The Militia House, Jamila Minnicks’ Moonrise Over New Jessup, Tracey Rose Peyton’s Night Wherever We Go, Kevin Sites’ The Ocean Above Me, Jamie Lee Sogn’s Salthouse Place, Anise Vance’s Hush Harbor, Tyriek White’s We Are a Haunting, Alice Winn’s In Memoriam, and Esther Yi’s Y/N.
The First Novel Prize was first awarded in 2006. Past winners include Karl Marlantes’ Matterhorn, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer, and Noor Naga’s If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.
The shortlist for the $15,000 prize will be announced in September, with the winner revealed on Dec. 5.