This year I had planned to read all 10 of the nominees for the National Book Award for Fiction ahead of the award ceremony. I didn’t think too much about this beyond assuming that the longlist would include one or two books I’d already read. In the end it didn’t include anything I’d read, and as of the announcement date fully half of the longlisted books hadn’t even been released yet, but I forged on anyway.

At this point I’ve read 8 of the 10 nominees, including all of the shortlisted books, which is where I’m going to stop. I’ve had a big stack of other books sitting on the table taunting me, including a re-read of Bunny so I can fully enjoy We Love You, Bunny, which I hope will be equally as unhinged.

Here’s my take on the shortlisted books.

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), by Rabih Alameddine: This is one that was already out when the longlist was announced, and once I finished it I was surprised I hadn’t heard anything about it. Kirkus described this as “peculiar but lively,” which is very apt. Raja’s exasperation with his family and their unbothered acceptance of him feel like a very realistic dynamic. I’d love to see this one win the prize.

Palaver, by Bryan Washington: This was a really lovely read. Even when folks are struggling to connect with one another — to the point of being sharp or mean — there’s still a tenderness. You can feel how the characters want to do better but are stuck in their ruts and struggling to lift out of them. I’d be happy if this one takes the award.

A Guardian and a Thief, by Megha Majumdar: This is beautifully written but so sad. You know it isn’t going to end happily but even then I didn’t expect what happened at the very end. I liked the parallels between the characters and how the concepts of “guardian” and “thief” are interwoven throughout. This one is also award-worthy.

North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther, by Ethan Rutherford: Compelling and beautiful, but brutal. (Gory scenes of whalers butchering their catch and some child sexual abuse to boot.) The structure of vignettes works really well and contributes to the strangeness of the whole thing, but I’ll be disappointed if it wins.

The Antidote, by Karen Russell: This is the third book by this author that I’ve read and not enjoyed, so I think Karen Russell is just not for me. Anyway, this is dense and the balance of vibes to plot needed to lean a bit more one way or the other. Some of the characters also needed more development. I can see why this is shortlisted, but personally I’ll be irritated if it wins.