Indelicacy
Hardcover First Edition | |
| Author | Amina Cain |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | February 11, 2020 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 161 |
| ISBN | 9780374148379 Hardcover First Edition |
| OCLC | 1102103985 |
| 813/.6 | |
| LC Class | PS3603.A377 I53 2020 lccn.loc.gov/2019024885 |
Indelicacy is a 2020 novel by American writer Amina Cain. The novel follows the life of its narrator, Vitória, from shortly before her marriage until shortly after its dissolution.
Writing, composition, and background
The novel took Cain four years to write.[1] The novel is partially set in an unnamed museum and for inspiration, Cain visited the National Gallery in London and the Frick Collection in New York City.[1][2] The city in which the novel takes place also never receives a name,[3] and Cain has referred to it as "a combination of Chicago, London, and then some imagined place".[4]
Cain had several drafts for the novel, and has referred to earlier versions of the book as "terrible".[2]
Reception
Critical reception
Isabel Berwick, writing in a review for the Financial Times, referred to the novel as "[...] a strange, short, beguiling book."[5] This sentiment was echoed in The New Yorker, which called the book "sparse" and "elliptical".[3]
Berwick grouped Cain's work with that of Jenny Offill and Ottessa Moshfegh, calling their styles "modern flat".[5]
Honors
The book was shortlisted for the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.[6][7]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | — | Shortlisted | [6][7] |
| 2021 | Rathbones Folio Prize | — | Shortlisted | [8] |
References
- ^ a b Cain, Kate Durbin interviews Amina (February 11, 2020). "Eternal Present: An Interview with Amina Cain". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Samatar, Sofia (March 12, 2020). "The Space of Writing: A Conversation with Amina Cain". Music & Literature. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Briefly Noted Book Reviews". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. April 13, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Skwarna, Naomi (April 16, 2020). "'A Trace of That Darker History': An Interview with Amina Cain". Hazlitt. Random House. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Berwick, Isabel (September 17, 2020). "Indelicacy by Amina Cain — a strange, short, beguiling book". www.ft.com. The Financial Times. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Saka, Rasheeda (October 1, 2020). "Here's the shortlist for the Center for Fiction's 2020 First Novel Prize". Literary Hub. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Indelicacy". Publishers Weekly. October 1, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Flood, Alison (February 11, 2021). "Monique Roffey leads strong showing for indies on Rathbones Folio shortlist". the Guardian. Retrieved February 11, 2021.