A somewhat short but intimate look into the cutthroat literary world and what happens when ambition collides with desperation and entitlement? Yes, please! That is the premise that sold me on Matthew Pearl's The Award. When a young writer comes into close proximity with someone whose career he has always admired, his life takes one unexpected turn after another.
The Situation: When David and his girlfriend Bonnie begin looking for apartments in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they know the search will be tough, but certainly there have to be better choices than the third floor walk-up with the narrow staircase and steep monthly rent that they are currently viewing. Both David and Bonnie are less than thrilled, until David learns that they will be living above literary legend Silas Hale. Now the apartment is an absolute necessity as David envisions scenes of being invited into Silas' home, maybe even becoming his mentee as the younger writer continues to find his place in the literary world. Bonnie is less than convinced, but she does agree, and the two move in.
The Problem: Living above the Hales becomes a problem for a few reasons. For one, Silas Hale is not exactly the most welcoming neighbor. Not only is his first order of business to bark a command at David regarding the trash bins, but the famed writer is clearly less than interested in aiding David in any way when it comes to his writing. Silas is content to ignore that David and Bonnie even exist in the space above him, until David's debut novel receives an award. When Silas invites him to an annual party, David is thrilled, until he receives unexpected news about the award. From here, things begin to quickly spiral and unravel, proving just how dangerous ambition can be.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction set around 2010, and for the most part set in and around the Boston area. David is a 20-something aspiring writer who is doing what a lot of aspiring writers of any age do, which is lament why his time has not come, while it seems that everyone around him is securing agents and selling their books. His meeting with the great Silas Hale disabuses him of any notion of the older man helping him out, and it soon becomes clear that while Silas may be beloved and thought of as a genius, he is also rude, abrasive, and ruthlessly condescending. The author's note contains only one line, which is 'Some of this happened.' This could be related to living above a difficult person; coming into contact with a revered writer who is simply not a nice person; or even the myriad of events that occur as the entire situation falls apart.
My Verdict: I loved the idea for this book and was excited to see in which direction it would go. I loved David's dangerous ambition, Silas' seemingly unchecked toxicity, and the multitude of terrible writing acquaintances between them. David's desire to potentially do whatever it took for him to have his literary moment allowed for some delicious scenes. But it all begins to slowly (and predictably) fall apart somewhere near the middle of the short novel. The twists and turns begin to be tiresome, and the ending only confirms what the reader sadly predicted several chapters before.
Favorite Moment: In the early part of the novel, David admits to an act he committed when applying to graduate school that tells the reader pretty much everything they need to know about him.
Favorite Character: In a book filled with tiresome and self-important authors who cannot even seem to hold a normal conversation with someone, Valentina 'Leni' Maldonado is a refreshing character to have pop up once in awhile.
Recommended Reading: It is hard not to think of R.F. Kuang's Yellowface while reading this book.
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