Goldie Goldbloom won the Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award for her novel On Division (FSG). The prize includes a $1,000 and support to attend the 56th Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries in Evanston, Ill., in June.
Rachel Kamin, a member of the award committee, said that Goldbloom, "a member of the Chasidic community, writes with accuracy, authenticity, and respect--celebrating the positive aspects of the community with beauty, warmth, and love while also exposing negative, harmful, and shameful practices. The result is a multi-layered story of how secrets can shake even the most secure and close-knit families that is accessible to readers both familiar and unfamiliar with the insular world of ultra-Orthodox Jews."
One honor book, The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer (Knopf), was also recognized. Award committee member Merrily Hart praised Orringer's "gorgeous writing and well-researched historical background."
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Finalists have been named for the Costa Short Story Award, which is run in association with the Costa Book Awards but judged independently of the main five-category system, the Bookseller reported. It is also judged anonymously, without the name of the author being known throughout the process. The winner, who will be decided by public vote and announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony January 28, receives £3,500 (about $4,570), while second and third place finishers get £1,000 (about $1,305) and £500 (about $650) respectively.
This year's nominees are Anna Dempsey for "The Dedicated Dancers of the Greater Oaks Retirement Community"; Kerry Hood for "The Dog Friend of Dastardly"; and Iain Rowan for "Birds of the Mountain."