319 pages/9 hours 40 minutes In Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and urgent: since Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists it truly becomes its title. This 2021 National Book Award winner for Fiction is as readable as any popular bestseller. It is fast-paced and thoughtful, hilarious and heartbreaking. Everyone who lives in America should read it.
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Posted in Book Recommendations and tagged adults, authors, book club, fiction, murder, National Book Award, Read with Jenna, staff recommendation.