Indelicacy

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.

Indelicacy
Hardcover First Edition
AuthorAmina Cain
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date
February 11, 2020
Pages161
ISBN9780374148379
Hardcover First Edition
OCLC1102103985
813/.6
LC ClassPS3603.A377 I53 2020
lccn.loc.gov/2019024885

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]

According to literary review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received mostly "Rave" and "Positive" reviews.[6]

Honors

The book was shortlisted for the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.[7][8]

Year Award Category Result Ref
2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize — Shortlisted [7][8]
2021 Rathbones Folio Prize — Shortlisted [9]

References
  1. Cain, Kate Durbin interviews Amina (11 February 2020). "Eternal Present: An Interview with Amina Cain". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. Samatar, Sofia (12 March 2020). "The Space of Writing: A Conversation with Amina Cain". Music & Literature. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. "Briefly Noted Book Reviews". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  4. Skwarna, Naomi (16 April 2020). "'A Trace of That Darker History': An Interview with Amina Cain". Hazlitt. Random House. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  5. Berwick, Isabel (17 September 2020). "Indelicacy by Amina Cain — a strange, short, beguiling book". www.ft.com. The Financial Times. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  6. "Indelicacy". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  7. Saka, Rasheeda (1 October 2020). "Here's the shortlist for the Center for Fiction's 2020 First Novel Prize". Literary Hub. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  8. "Indelicacy". Publishers Weekly. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  9. Flood, Alison (2021-02-11). "Monique Roffey leads strong showing for indies on Rathbones Folio shortlist". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
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