Hell of a Book

Hell of a Book^[a] is a 2021 book by Jason Mott. It won the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.^[1]

Hell of a Book

First edition cover
Author	Jason Mott
Language	English
Publisher	Dutton
Publication date	2021
Publication place	United States
Pages	323 pp
ISBN	978-0593330999

Plot summary

In alternating chapters, the novel tells the stories of two different characters: a nameless novelist on tour for a book also titled Hell of a Book, and an African-American child named Soot. Soot, who lives near Whiteville, North Carolina, is being bullied on the school bus, while the novelist is troubled by visions of a child he calls "The Kid", who speaks to him and seemingly guides him through his issues.

Reception

The Star-News said that with the novel, Mott earned "a place on the shelf beside such African-American writers as Colson Whitehead and Octavia Butler".^[2]

On November 17, 2021, the novel was awarded the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.^[3] It was also longlisted for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction,^[4] the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize,^[5] and the 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Prize.^[6]

Notes

1. The full title of the novel is Hell of a Book: Or the Altogether Factual, Wholly Bona Fide Story of a Big Dreams, Hard Luck, American-Made Mad Kid.