Paul Griner's novel on the longlist for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
The Book of Otto and Liam
Paul Griner's latest novel, The Book of Otto and Liam (Sarabande Books) is one of 23 works of fiction to make the longlist for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Forty-five books (23 fiction, 22 nonfiction) have been selected for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction longlist. Paul Griner joins multiple Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners and one Nobel Laureate on the list of nominees.
Each year, Booklist (the journal of the American Library Association) receives thousands of books to review. Of the small percentage reviewed, a smaller percentage still are awarded a star: all starred books are eligible for the Carnegie medal. Judges typically choose 20-25 titles for the longlist and this year they've chosen 23, The Book of Otto and Liam included. The six-title shortlist will be chosen from the longlist titles and announced on November 8, 2021; the two medal winners will be announced on January 23rd.
Paul Griner is the author of the novels Collectors, The German Woman, and Second Life, and the story collections Follow Me (a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers choice) and Hurry Please I Want to Know (winner of the Kentucky Literary Award). He teaches writing and literature at the University of Louisville.
Praise for The Book of Otto and Liam:
"Griner’s novel is a powerful excavation into the darkest recesses of grief. . . . Unabashedly polemical, angry, and heartbreaking."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Griner creates an entirely original portrait of grief, loss, and finding a new way forward in the aftermath of an all too-familiar tragedy."
—ALA Booklist, starred review
"In his heartwrenching novel The Book of Otto and Liam, Paul Griner traces the hard-fought healing of a school shooting victim’s father."
—Foreword Reviews, online and print
"Paul Griner's novel The Book of Otto and Liam manages to be dark, powerful, funny, and timely, often on the same page."
—Largehearted Boy, online
"Paul Griner’s fourth novel, The Book of Otto and Liam, amalgamates artifacts and narrative to not only tell the tragic story of a father reeling from a school shooting that leaves his son in the hospital, but also to examine the conspiracy theories and hoaxes that pervade American society. It’s a novel built on short chapters and precise emotional swings. Griner’s prose is swift and holds steady in the most difficult moments. I frequently found myself pausing to reread and process these short bursts, but finished The Book of Otto and Liam in one sitting."
—“'Art Can do What The Truth Can’t': 'The Book of Otto and Liam' Tackles Today’s Most Difficult Topics" by Aram Mrjoian, Chicago Review of Books
