nomadreader

Two years ago, The Dogs of Littlefield  was longlisted for the Baileys Prize . At the time, there was no U.S. publication in sight, despite the fact that Berne is an American author. I'm thrilled to report it's finally coming out in the U.S. Tuesday, so I'm reposting review in support of its American publication, with updated links to buy it. The backstory:  The Dogs of Littlefield  was longlisted for the 2014  Baileys Prize . Suzanne Berne won the  Orange Prize  in 1999 for her first novel,  A Crime in the Neighborhood   ( my review .) The basics:  Set in the idyllic (fictional) town of Littlefield, Massachusetts, famous for its place on the Ten Best Places to Live in America list, as well as its disproportionately high number of psychotherapists,  The Dogs of Littlefield  explores the characters of this town through their own eyes and through the eyes of Dr. Clarice Watkins, a cultural anthropologist spending a year in Litt...

Update: The Dogs of Littlefield  was published January 12, 2016 in the U.S.  I've reposted my review here . The backstory: The Dogs of Littlefield  is on the longlist for this year's Baileys Prize . Suzanne Berne won the Orange Prize in 1999 for her first novel, A Crime in the Neighborhood ( my review .) The basics: Set in the idyllic (fictional) town of Littlefield, Massachusetts, famous for its place on the Ten Best Places to Live in America list, as well as its disproportionately high number of psychotherapists, The Dogs of Littlefield  explores the characters of this town through their own eyes and through the eyes of Dr. Clarice Watkins, a cultural anthropologist spending a year in Littlefield as a visiting scholar. Soon after she arrives, dogs start getting poisoned, and the paranoia and repercussions of these events ripple throughout Littlefield. My thoughts: When the Baileys Prize longlist was first announced, the title I was most surprised to ...

The backstory: Jesmyn West's second novel  Salvage the Bones  is a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award  and a finalist for the 2012 Dayton Literary Peace Prize . The basics: Salvage the Bones  is the story of Esch, a pregnant fourteen-year-old girl in New Orleans in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. Since her mother died, Esch helps care for her alcoholic father and three brothers. Much of the action also focuses on China, the pet pit bull who gives birth as the novel opens. My thoughts: When the National Book Award finalists were first announced , I had heard the most about Salvage the Bones  (of the three I had not read.) Two bloggers whose opinions I trust, Audra at Unabridged Chick and Heather at Raging Bibliomania , liked it but found the subject matter quite difficult. As someone who lacks an affinity for dogs and is downright afraid of aggressive dogs, I was curious  how the focus on pit bull fighting would work for me. In short: I...