THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7,2002
BOOKS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 11
Award nominees get little literary attention
By Henry C. Jackson
cjackson@kansan.com
Jayplay Writer
This year's National Book Award nominees in fiction have a common trait; they have generated almost no buzz in the literary community. Perhaps that's because they have a tough act to follow.
Last year's winner, Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, was the most talked about book of the last five years. While The Corrections received a plethora of deservedly good reviews, much of the hullabaloo stemmed from a high-profile feud with TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
This year's NBA contenders are comparatively tame: none of the nominees has published more than one other novel before being nominated, let alone had a standoff with a media mogul. That doesn't mean they're not worthy. Here's the lowdown on this year's NBA fiction nominees; check them out before the winner is announced Nov. 20.
Three Junes (Pantheon Books) by Julia Glass
Julia Glass' impressive debut novel, *Three Junes*, was a *Good Morning America* book club pick, but hasn't shot up *The New York Times* best-seller list. That's not to say it shouldn't—Glass' voice
is strong and artful as she takes the reader through three separate summers in the McLeod family. Glass skillfully navigates all kinds of issues - loneliness, friendship and love - through a variety of wonderfully described settings such as Greece, rural Scotland and even the swanky Hamptons neighborhoods of upstate New York.
You Are Not a Stranger Here (Doubleday) by Adam Haslett
Franzen tapped Adam Haslett's stirring debut collection of short stories, You Are Not a Stranger Here for inclusion in the Today book club. Dealing with a variety of issues, such as mental illness, homosexuality, loss and the awkwardness of a first sexual encounter, You Are Not a Stranger Here impresses often — particularly when you consider Haslett is still a law student at Yale University.
Big If (W.W. Norton & Company) by Mark Costello
Mark Costello's Big If is driven by its main character, Vi Apslund, a female secret service agent who takes on the high stress post of covering the vice president during the New Hampshire primary. While this
seems like it's leading to a Tom Clancy-type plot, it's not. Big If is more Colson Whitehead - quirky, extremely funny and astoundingly smart - than it is Clancy action thriller. Nonetheless, Costello's first solo literary effort is driven by an interesting and quick-moving plot (something Clancy's known for) and well-drawn characters (something Clancy is definitely not known for).
The Heaven of Mercury (W.W. Norton & Company) by Brad Watson
A Southern gothic novel of a different sort, Brad Watson's The Heaven of Mercury brings something new to a genre that has more or less become a rite of passage for writers who grew up below the
Mason Dixon line. Set in the aggressively small town of Mercury, Miss., Mercury will no doubt stir up comparisons to William Faulkner, the original Southern gothic writer.
Gorgeous Lies (Harcourt Brace) by Martha McPhee
Martha McPhee, with one praised novel, Bright Angel Time, to her credit, is the "veteran" of this year's NBA award list. Writing, it seems, runs in McPhee's family: her father, John McPhee is a celebrated
essayist. Martha McPhee's latest offering, Gorgeous Lies, is a complex family drama set in New Jersey, where the Furey family gathers as their patriarch lies on his deathbed with pancreatic cancer. Beautifully written and possessing the sort of pedigree that the NBA tends to look for. Lies may be the favorite to take this year's award.
— Edited by Amanda Sears
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