Are Pulitzer Prize Winning Novels For Everyone?
I recently read All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer prize winner 2015. Though his book wasn’t a page turner, I didn’t want to stop reading once I’d started. I’ve read many books set during World War II, the majority showing conflict between the nations at the time or about the Holocaust, but this one is different. It’s about two young people, a blind French girl and a German orphan boy, and how the European battles impact on their lives. Through their journeys, the author takes us behind the scenes of war.
I find Pulitzer prize winning novels curious. A jury decides which American novel is deserving of the honour, which proclaims to the world that the author of the Pulitzer prize winning novel has risen far above the others in the way the story is told. And yet, are Pulitzer prize winning novels for everyone?
After I had finished reading All The Light We Cannot See, I told my husband about it, thinking he would enjoy the read, especially since he’s read many books about that period. I was wrong. He didn’t enjoy the read. He read seventy pages and couldn’t get into it. He found the pace slow, and the interweaving of stories too distracting.
I have to admit it took me awhile as well, and I found the author’s flipping from one year to the next hard to follow. He went back and forth in time. There were moments when I had to stop and go back in the story to figure out where the characters were in relation to what was going on. But I stayed with it, because I liked Anthony Doerr’s use of metaphors and depictions of life back then. I also wanted to see what it took to win a Pulitzer Prize. Not that I have any hopes in that department, but a writer needs to read in order to write well.
I gave All The Light We Cannot See five stars. I didn’t read the other contenders for the Pulitzer prize but I do believe this one is deserving. It showed me the greys of war through the stories of two young people on different sides of the conflict, both struggling to make sense of what was going on around them, each one in survival mode.
With me loving the book and my husband rejecting its storytelling, I’ve come to the conclusion—surprise, surprise—that Pulitzer prize winning novels aren’t for everyone. And isn’t that wonderful? There’s room for writers like myself, and those who tell detective stories or write thrillers, science fiction, Harlequin and on and on. Our world would be very boring if we all loved to read and write the same kind of books. Don’t you agree?
Thoughts and comments always appreciated.
Well, I guess one can say the same about any book. Not every book is for every person. Kind of like The Unbearable Lightness of Being- which my sister loved and I hated. I called it the Unbearable Weight of Horrible Books.
Julia, I like the comparison you make about The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I remember reading about last year’s Pulitzer Prize winner, The Goldfinch, and how much argument that book provoked. I guess I needed to point this out for myself, as sometimes I feel that as a writer, I should like all these notable books, but if it doesn’t appeal, it doesn’t appeal. And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Like in the world of art, when it comes to finally choosing the best among all the worthy novels, the decision is a subjective one.
Couldn’t agree more – same holds true for fashion, music and food. Thank goodness there’s a wide variety available to try. If you’re adventurous, which clearly you are, you’re sure to stumble upon some real gems.
Jo-Anne, of course. Why did I think this was such a good post? I guess when I started writing it, it was a reaction to Rob not liking the novel.And then I got to thinking about how prizes are doled out. That even though the novel has merit, it doesn’t mean it’s going to appeal to many.
I don’t mind complexity in a novel. But only if it’s absolutely required for the story to make sense is skipping around in time bearable. I couldn’t stand Wally Lamb – but loved Holes. I got into the first chapter of The Great Santini – but gave up when the next chapter required you to start again with another character, time, and place (IIRC).
Maybe I’ll get back to Santini, but the principle for me is that extended backstory has to be EARNED, and the books I can’t keep reading seem to throw me into a second story when I don’t want to go, because I was just getting used to the one I was reading.
And I have high standards – I just don’t think it works to intercut stories without a strong story structure holding it together. Reading shouldn’t be hard. Complicated, yes. Hard to follow, and requiring that I pay attention that closely? Nope. The writer didn’t do the job.
I should add ‘IMHO’ but I’m getting tired of novels breathless with their own light.
Alicia, so great to hear that you also have trouble at times with noteworthy novels. I am constantly questioning how some books got the awards they did. Especially when I struggle to get engaged in the story or stay engaged. And I agree reading shouldn’t be hard. I like complications but don’t lose me in the process.
The few Pulitzer Prize novels I’ve tried I’ve not much cared for them. I’m a shameless fan of genre fiction (esp. mysteries), which doesn’t win weighty prizes very often.
Bryan, I concur. When I’m searching for something to read, I more often than not, reach for a genre fiction rather than a literary one. I want a story, well told, and not one where I have to look words up page after page or slog through because the prose is so unusual.
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