Fiction Winner: The Water Dancer

"I love nothing more than a novel that gives us a glimpse of truth—you know, actual truth that’s unadulterated by all the noise of the day-to-day. When a story is fully-formed, told in an authentic voice, and gets at the true essence of the human condition, it’s the ultimate listening experience. And when it’s done right, there’s no better thing on the planet. Five writers (and six narrators) achieved this in spectacular form in 2019. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ocean Vuong arrived as first-time novelists but with some serious literary cred—and they did not disappoint. Both Sally Rooney and Kevin Wilson continued to master the craft of storytelling with their unique (and very different) brands of realness that simply amaze me in totally different ways. And Sofia Segovia is proof that magical realism is still evolving and breaking barriers." —Tricia, Audible Editor

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