Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt versus Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The judge: Mark Binelli
The winner: Lightning Rods !!!
Read Binelli’s thoughtful explanation of choice (along with commentary) on the official ToB website.
See now folks, this is where the ToB gets interesting. Salvage the Bones seemed an easy pick, given the shiny new National Book Award trophy sitting on its mantel. And in his explanation Binelli admits that “after a hundred pages or so, Lightning Rods becomes kind of boring.” But he applauds DeWitt’s willingness to go there, to dare to be boring and stick with it, and so gives her the win.
These judges, man, they can be unpredictable.
Here’s how our booksellers fared:
Lightning Rods
Trevor
Hoyt #2 (we really have to figure out where this whole two-bracket Hoyt system stands)
Salvage the Bones
Everyone else
So Trevor and Hoyt each earn a point and the rest of us hold steady until next time, when 1Q84 goes up against The Last Brother.
BookPeople 