The Award

The Award by Matthew Pearl

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book populated by so many unlikeable, despicable characters. Just. Bad. People.

And yet—somehow—I liked it.

The novel takes its time getting started; it wasn’t until about 100 pages in that it truly became a page-turner. After that, I couldn’t put it down.

At its center is David, an ambitious new writer who will stop at nothing to achieve his version of success. He repeatedly hurls himself off the cliff of ethics, and every time I found myself muttering, “Really, David?” You horrible person, you.

Some readers have described this story as funny. I didn’t experience it that way at all. Instead, I found it disturbingly human in the worst sense—cringeworthy, self-serving, and deeply uncomfortable. The book left me with a lingering ick feeling, which, honestly, feels exactly like the point.

It delivers precisely what it promises.

Enjoy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️