Predicting the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

[@TheLeniverse]

I've read True Biz. It was very interesting, and contained pictures of signs and a lot of background info. The reader gets to learn along with the main character. I was made aware of things that had never occurred to me, like that there's a big controversy around cochlear implants. Unfortunately I thought the ending was weak, and maybe I liked the public information service aspects more than the plot itself.

[@benreadsgood]

It's such a shame when a good book doesn't stick the landing! Definitely interested in the learning side of things with this one, but fingers crossed the story will work for me too 🤞 Thanks for watching!

[@ht6743]

Thanks, Ben! Do more predictions videos! Also predicting Trust. Just feels right to me, but I know how fickle the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction can be. I was badly burned last year picking Love Songs, but this is still my favorite literary awards prize. So few around here try to predict it, and I'm surprised that you did! Kudos, good sir!

[@benreadsgood]

More will be coming! Well, at least one more at some point for the Booker 😊 Guessing is just too much fun not to. The Pulitzer is such a tough one to predict - I too thought Love Songs was a shoo-in last year, and as surprised as everyone else.

[@DavidCaves-mt2mq]

Great picks! Fingers crossed

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks David! Whoever the finalists turn out to be, I’m excited just to find out 😊

[@jonnie7891]

So is this a sign that we are getting a Ben Reads with Wine reading vlog 👀 I am obsessed with True Biz. It’s the best book I read last year. I learned so much about the deaf community and language as a whole. I was so impressed with how Novic handled deaf culture, race and AAVE.

[@benreadsgood]

Hahaha perhaps wine will make some more appearances in the future. Book and wine pairing suggestions, perhaps?! 😂 Lovely to see such positivity about True Biz - I'm excited for it! I didn't know AAVE was a theme in the book - I hadn't thought about how sign language might be adapted and used like that by different communities, so now I'm even more intrigued. Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@SupposedlyFun]

I had so much fun watching someone else discuss the Pulitzer Prize. Well done! I think the recent banking collapses in the US are making it even more inevitable that Trust will be the winner. I didn't include True Biz or Mercy Street in my predictions, but there's a strong case for both. But of course, my heart belongs to Demon Copperhead.

[@benreadsgood]

Hey Greg! Thank you for watching - glad you enjoyed it 🙏 I did have to actively avoid just copying your list 😂 Was glad to add some viable titles into the conversation, but it’s a prize that is so hard to guess for. Not long to go now though!

[@SupposedlyFun]

@@benreadsgood Not too long at all!

[@dqan7372]

I'd like to think it is between Copperhead and Trust. Night of the Living Rez or Horse would make an interesting contender. I could even see them awarding Everett's Dr. No. I liked your list. I'd forgotten all about some of them.

[@benreadsgood]

They do seem to be the frontrunners! But last year I was convinced The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois would have it in the bag, and it was nowhere to be found. Heard a lot of great things about Night of the Living Rez, and if Horse *did* win, it would be amazing that Brooks would become the first ever woman to achieve multiple wins. Haven't read the latest Everett, but I loved The Trees!

[@thecinematicmind]

Copperhead and Trust winning the Pulitzer Prize. Literature History has just been confirmed.

[@spexi513]

Supposedly Fun = 📖 🪱 💚; it’s always satisfying when a favorite book tuber shouts out another favorite 🥰📖🥰

[@benreadsgood]

He has a great channel! I've been watching Greg's videos for a while, and it's been lovely to see his channel grow so much more over the last year or two.

[@pratgarg]

Holy wow, Ben! What a prediction! Congratulations.

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks Prateek 🙏 I think it’s mainly just the luck of the two most obvious picks for this year winning the prize!

[@pratgarg]

@@benreadsgood Where’s your money on International Booker?

[@benreadsgood]

@@pratgarg I haven’t actually read any of them, as I’ve been focusing more on the Women’s Prize. But from what I’ve seen and heard, I’m expecting Whale to take it. But it was a surprising longlist, and a surprising shortlist, so anything could happen!

[@pratgarg]

@@benreadsgood Understood. I see Booktube predicting Boulder, but I have my hopes on Still Born. Also, Women’s prize - That’s one shortlist I’m yet to start. So many good books to read, so less time.

[@catdancerskaleidoscopeofbo8496]

I'm going to throw out Don't Cry For Me by Daniel Black as me shot in the dark. I don't know if it is really a Pulitzer book, but it is my top book I have read in 2023 and it was published in 2022.

[@benreadsgood]

Ahhh yeah I think someone else in the comments mentioned that one too - it sounds great! I do love that the Pulitzer has the potential to be almost anything. Only a few days until we find out 😊

[@lorrainefoord7384]

Thanks Ben, I really enjoy the way you talk about books. Like so many, I'm finding Demon Copperhead brilliant, and an earlier viewer mentioned Horse by Geraldine Brooks - I found that one brilliant also!

[@benreadsgood]

Thank you Lorraine, that's really kind of you to say! It's amazing how (mostly) universal the love for Demon Copperhead has been - I'm looking forward to diving in. Horse does seem to be emerging as a contender, too. Brooks would become the first woman to win twice, which would be amazing!

[@christelvanzyl5246]

Halfway through Demon Copperhead and IT IS GOOD.

[@benreadsgood]

That’s great! I’m very excited to get to it 🥳

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

I just picked up Trust from the library yesterday. I've been interested to read it since Booker but couldn't get a library copy until now. I tend to like books in books and changing perspectives so I'm hoping that I like it although I've heard some mixed reviews 😊

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah it seems to work for some people more than others - for me it was great. It is structured a bit differently to how I'm used to reading book-within-a-book narratives. Here they are just sequential (that's not a spoiler: you see it in the contents) rather than flipping between the main narration and the book-within-the-book. Hope you like it!

[@SM-vr8dz]

2AM in Little America sounds v good.

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah the concept sounds super interesting!

[@athertonca]

Predicting the Pulitzer for Fiction is a bit like guessing the number a person is thinking of. I think the clear winner is Demon Copperhead. My finalists would be Trust and Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro.

[@benreadsgood]

Haha that's a great analogy. You're thinking of 8, aren't you? Or maybe 31? 😂 Would be very happy to see Demon or Trust take it. Hadn't heard of Signal Fires, but just looked it up and it sounds great - love a family drama!

[@GemofBooks]

Mercy Street was not in my radar, but I feel like I really need to read it! I would love Demon Copperhead to win. Such an outstanding novel.

[@benreadsgood]

I think you’ll like it! Got some good humour, but also some very depressing stories Claudia encounters in the clinic.

[@merrilywereadalong5367]

🤣 yeah we're on the same page. I don't know who Hernan Diaz pissed off in the UK but they really extracting sabotage on him with those atrocious covers lol (I shipped mine from the States bc I just couldn't look at that cover on my shelf hahah) I think it's gotta be Demon Copperhead hands down. But I'd truthfully be happy with any of these choices. Excited for your reading vlog!! I hope you enjoy! also If I Survive You is fantastic if you read it! (And more wine videos please!! 🍷🍷🍷)

[@benreadsgood]

Yeah I was very grateful that getting a US copy of Trust was fairly affordable. I felt the same about Richard Powers' Bewilderment, but it was so pricey to get a copy from the US or Canada (the best cover) that I settled for the UK one. Thankfully they corrected that mistake with the paperback, but Trust has just been given *another* dire design 😭 So much love for Demon! Now I just need to learn how to do a vlog. Wine may indeed be necessary 😂

[@KierTheScrivener]

My main thought is white wine? When, red is right there 😂 Trust is one of my favourite books of last year as well. True Biz on my list to read. I'm thankful that disabled authors are getting more representation as time goes on. I doubt it will make it but I'm gunning for Don't Cry For Me by Daniel Black.

[@benreadsgood]

I’m a sucker for a German white - it was a Riesling and it was delicious! Glad you also liked Trust. I thought it was just so clever and I love a book that makes you reevaluate what you’ve already read and thought you knew. Hadn’t heard of the Daniel Black book, but it sounds great. The concept almost seems like a reverse of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.

[@mradcaqbdb]

Mercy Street sounds interesting. Just put the audiobook on my wishlist at the library. The Pulitzer is a weird one. I can’t really get behind keeping the shortlist to themselves until the winner is announced. And they also do things like last year; three virtually unknown books sent to the board. 🤷‍♀️ Some people like their style.

[@benreadsgood]

It definitely makes it hard to be as invested in it as other prizes… creates a disconnect between the prestige and the level of hype. But I expect they take the stance that they don’t particularly care about involving the public, and it’s all about rewarding quality rather than creating buzz. Less fun for us though!

[@lindaharrison3240]

OK, just my opinion but here it is: the Pulitzer winner has to be literary enough to capture the praise of literary readers but commercial enough that any fiction reader can pick it up and enjoy it. Take 2 circles, one filled with literary reads and one filled with commercial reads. Where the 2 overlap you have your chances for the Pulitzer.

[@benreadsgood]

Hey Linda - that seems like a great rule of thumb! Certainly describes a lot of recent winners. There are always exceptions though, e.g. not sure if The Netanyahus fits the commercial bill quite as much as some other titles. But it’s always fun to have a few surprises in the mix 😊

[@Ruby-jm4no]

I loved the Netanyahus from last year and came out of nowhere for me, so I am hoping it’s another surprise for me

[@benreadsgood]

Glad to hear you liked it! Something about it felt a bit intimidating to me, but I’ve also heard it’s got a great sense of humour. A surprise winner would be fun!

[@hollyb118]

Reading Demon Copperhead right now!

[@benreadsgood]

Hope you're enjoying it! I need to join you on the Demon train soon 😅

[@qinlkpah]

That cover of the Trust paperback is terrible and has nothing to do with the book. In the Distance is one of my all-time favourites.

[@benreadsgood]

I can kiiiiinda see what they're trying to do with the reflections, but it just doesn't feel anything like it feels to read the book. Truly terrible! Glad to hear some love for In The Distance. I enjoyed Trust so much that I nabbed a copy basically as soon as I finished it - Diaz is such a talented author that I'm excited to read his other work.

[@lauracorsi3309]

I tend not to get along with Pulitzer Prize Winners. I can count on one hand the number of PPW's I have enjoyed. If i find a book insufferable and overly pleased with itself then I will predict it for the Pulitzer. (sorry, not sorry) For this reason, I do not think Demon Copperhead will win it since I love that one. I am thinking it will be Trust by Hernan Diaz but you never know. Afterall, last year it was a very obscure book that almost no one had ever heard of or talked about.

[@benreadsgood]

Haha, 'overly pleased with itself' is kind of the vibe I think of too, although when I looked back at previous winners I was actually surprised by the number that I had read and enjoyed. But I love that your intuition is accurately able to predict what *won't* win 😂 Would love a Trust win, but you're right it could be something completely random!

[@lauracorsi3309]

Hooray!! Happy to say that I was wrong! So pleased to see Demon Copperhead as one of the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction!!

[@benreadsgood]

@@lauracorsi3309 the power of not expecting too much! 😂

[@ritas140]

I hope it’s not Demon Copperhead. It was such a disappointing read!

[@benreadsgood]

Oh no! I actually haven't heard many bad things about it at all, but I am a little worried that the hype is *so* enormous at this point that I might end up feeling the same as you do. Hoping I will love it though! Thank you for taking the time to watch, Rita 🙏

[@ritas7851]

@@benreadsgood the first 250 pages are brilliant. Typical Kingsolver writing, charming references to David Copperfield... and then it turns into a bit YA. A friend of mine said once you push through that section it picks up, but I just couldn't stand to read anymore. I am very alone in my opinion, so many loved it. I do hope it's a good one. Oh and don't be put off the size, it's well paced so you do get through it fairly quickly : )

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks for the intel! That sounds a lot like how I feel about The Goldfinch, so perhaps bodes well for Kingsolver’s chances 😅