The Award: A Novel

(audio) This literary thriller is told from the PoV of a struggling Cambridge writer who serendipitously moves into an apartment in a home shared by his literary idol. The disastrous results, as David Trent gets to know the monster in the house, Silas Hale, causes the reader to juggle which of the two egocentric men is worse. The winter spent in a freezing cold garret, doing thankless household chores for a man who despises him and won't turn up the home's only thermostat, causes the breakup of Trent's engagement (the women in this novel are brimming with personality and good sense, unlike the men) and his despair, until he is notified that his first novel has been awarded a notable literary prize that had also been given to Silas Hale show more in his youth. Seemingly, Trent's idol changes his spots at the news (but still no heat!) and life is briefly a dream until a devastating reversal of fortune. Trent's response and his subsequent actions are almost unbelievable, but the author's pronouncements on the egos and mental state of successful writers leave the reader in wonderment at the tone deafness and utter blindness of the Cambridge literary scene. show less

David Trent has been trying to complete his first novel for five years. In "The Award," by Matthew Pearl, he and his girlfriend, Bonnie, rent an apartment on the top floor of a house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is an uncomfortable place to live, but David is thrilled to have a famous downstairs neighbor, a successful author named Silas Hale. David pictures himself befriending Hale, who might use his influence to boost David's career. After he submits his manuscript, "The Crises," to various publishers, only one expresses interest. Much to David's shock, after his book is published, he wins a prestigious award. However, his prospects, which for a brief time seemed so promising, suddenly take a downward turn.

"The Award" is a satirical show more look at the hubris of writers who expect deference and even adulation from the "lesser" beings they encounter. One of the worst offenders is Silas Hale, who turns out to be pretentious, arrogant, and cruel. This dark work of fiction has an immature protagonist who repeatedly lies his way out of difficult situations and fails to take responsibility for his actions. With few exceptions, Pearl's characters are insufferable. If there is a message in this grim tale, it is that immoral people do not invariably pay the price for their transgressions, and those who play by the rules are often crushed by ruthless bullies. Matthew Pearl offers a depressing vision of a dog-eat-dog world, in which winning an award is more important than earning it. show less

Was intrigued at the beginning and thought this was going to be a fun satire of the literary work, but then the plot took a turn for the worse. The main character kept making stupid decisions and the plot became stupidly implausible. I skimmed the second half of the book hoping it would redeem itself but it never did.

If you asked ChatGPT to adopt the voice of a particularly inept Mary McCarthy and generate a horribly contrived version of The Talented Mr. Ripley involving a handful of literati poseurs, you might end up with this book.