A Closer Look at the 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Fiction Finalists

The 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards will be announced at the Celebration of Bookselling, on Friday, June 4, during this year's BookExpo America (BEA) in Chicago. Here, BTW takes a look at the five finalists in the Adult Fiction category. (For the complete list of finalists, click here.)

All nominated authors and illustrators are being invited to attend the award ceremonies and the Book Sense Lunch, also to be held on Friday, June 4, at BEA.

All current ABA member bookstores can vote for the Book Sense Book of the Year. A ballot was mailed to all ABA bookstore members on April 1, and is available in a downloadable PDF format by clicking here. Ballots mailed to ABA's accountants KPMG must be postmarked by May 5; the fax deadline is May 12.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Mark Haddon (Doubleday)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the U.K.'s Whitbread Book of the Year in 2003, is the sixth novel to win this award since 1985. The story's young narrator and his emotional naivete are broadly appealing to both the Adult and Young Adult markets. (For more about this subject, click here.) An interview by Dave Weich at Powells.com, notes Haddon has said, "I really thought to myself, Who on Earth is going to want to read about a 15-year-old kid with a disability living in Swindon with his father? And I thought, I better make the plot good." The Curious Incident was a selection of the Today Show Book Club.

From the Book Sense 76 recommendation:
"This novel takes you right into the world of a 15-year-old autistic savant boy who is obsessed with solving the mystery of who killed his neighbor's dog. In his search, he discovers much more about his family than he ever wanted to know. Very engaging and written in a true voice of innocence." --Luanne Kreutzer, St. Helens Book Shop, St. Helens, Oregon

THE MASTER BUTCHERS SINGING CLUB: A Novel, Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins)
Award-winning author Louise Erdrich based this saga on recollections of her youth in North Dakota and of her grandfather, who was a German immigrant, a master butcher, and an avid choral singer. The heart of the book -- the story of World War I veteran Fidelis Waldvogel (Faithful Forest Bird) and his life in Argus, North Dakota -- is all richly drawn invention. The tale spans the unspeakable horrors of both World Wars while striking chords of friendship and love. Erdrich conducts a grand chorus of small-town life replete with sausage making, magical circus acts, and startling acts of devotion, loyalty, and betrayal. Erdrich's The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was a 2002 finalist for Book Sense Book of the Year in the Fiction category.

From the Book Sense 76 recommendation:
"Erdrich's latest is fantastic. It's a great story about German immigrants who settle in North Dakota in the early part of the 20th century; a big-hearted, realistic tale about hardscrabble life, small community, and all the small heroics that emerge in the ordinary living of life. I loved every sentence." --Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh, North Carolina

THE DA VINCI CODE: A Novel, Dan Brown (Doubleday)
Chosen by booksellers as one of the Best of Book Sense From the First Five Years, The Da Vinci Code has created cadres of enthusiastic readers and much controversy among students of art, architecture, and religion. The book is the second in a series featuring Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon; the first was Angels & Demons. Langdon becomes the prime suspect in a brutal murder at the Louvre and teams up with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu; the two elude the police and struggle to unravel clues of centuries-old codes and secret societies, that all lead up to mysteries at the very foundation of Christianity.

From the Book Sense 76 recommendation:
"Everyone here has read and loved the advance copy of this smart new thriller. This is one of those rare books that comes along and makes you question everything you thought you knew about religion, art, and what you were taught in school. It's fast-paced, enthralling, and simply impossible to put down." --Jeff Azbill, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Jackson, Tennessee

MRS. KIMBLE: A Novel, Jennifer Haigh (William Morrow),
In her debut novel, Jennifer Haigh creates three 'Mrs. Kimbles' and through them the reader learns all that can be gleaned about their mutual husband, the charming cipher, Ken Kimble. The lives of the three women are scrutinized and their characters deliberately drawn. Haigh attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was awarded a 2002 James A. Michener Fellowship. She also received the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, a prize given for a distinguished first book of fiction.

From the Book Sense 76 recommendation:
"This is a beautifully written novel, telling the story of three very different women, who, over a 25-year period, were consecutively married to the same man. Each of the Mrs. Kimbles is worth a novel of her own, but by weaving their stories together, Haigh has written a story of women everywhere -- their insecurities and their commitments. This wonderful novel explores the reasons behind the choices women make, and each one's story is unique and fascinating." --Maret Orliss, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA

THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE: A Novel, Audrey Niffenegger (MacAdam/Cage)
Wrinkles in time and an accidental time traveler turn this love story into a confounding fantasy. Henry, a librarian, meets Clare, the love of his life, when she was six and he was 36; they are married when Clare was 23 and Henry 31. Henry's attempts at a normal life, with a steady job, children of his own, and good friends, despite his spontaneous and uncontrollable jaunts through time, are viewed through the eyes of both spouses in this first novel. Niffenegger is a visual artist and a professor in the Interdisciplinary Book Arts MFA Program at the Columbia College Chicago Centre for Book and Paper Arts. The Time Traveler's Wife was a Today Show Book Club selection.

From the Book Sense 76 recommendation:
"The love story of Henry and Clare is complicated by Henry's strange genetic affliction -- involuntary time travel as unpredictable and uncontrollable as a sneeze. This is a complex and captivating novel of love, loss, and acceptance, with an amazing twist at its end." --Sharon Miller, Vista Book Gallery, Boise, ID

For a closer look at the 2004 Children's finalists, click here for a look at the Paperback finalists, click here; for the nonfiction finalists, click here.