The Morning News’ annual Tournament of Books enters its second week today as Andrew Womack debates the merits of Anne Carson’s Nox and Jaimy Gordon’s National Book Award winning Lord of Misrule (a beguiling favorite of mine from 2010). Womack sides with Carson’s Nox crediting if with being “the more unpredictable, the more gripping—and the one that kept me guessing and still keeps me thinking.” I will note that Womack gives Lord of Misrule depressingly short shrift, even admitting to not being able to “understand a word any of [the characters] said through the first full quarter of the novel.” Don’t let a review that’s a tad shallow and impatient keep you from picking this book up asap.
Last week saw four match-ups: Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom vs. Teddy Wayne’s Kapitoil (winner: Freedom), Emma Donoghue’s Room vs. Marcy Dermansky’s Bad Marie (winner: Room), Don Winslow’s Savages vs. Howard Jacobson’s Man Booker Prize winner The Finkler Question (winner: The Finkler Question), and Paul Murray’s Skippy Dies vs. Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad (winner: A Visit From the Goon Squad).
Not many upsets so far, so I expect to see Freedom and A Visit From the Goon Squad muscle their way through the next round and on to the semis. The right side of the bracket seems less predictable but fingers are crossed for Full-Stop-favorite Super Sad True Love Story.
Check the Morning News’ website tomorrow when James Hynes’ Next squares off with Lionel Shriver’s So Much For That.
Full-Stop will report the dead and wounded come Friday. In the meantime, check out our coverage of these brave books currently at war:
Room – Emma Donoghue
The Finkler Question – Howard Jacobson
A Visit From the Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan
Interview with Paul Murray, author of Skippy Dies
Super Sad True Love Story – Gary Shteyngart
Interview with Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story
Bloodroot – Amy Greene
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