Tournament of Books discussion

FINAL ROUND VOTES – The Vegetarian vs. Laurus

Sara : In The Vegetarian, we see the protagonist from every perspective but her own. The thrill comes from what we can't know. We are pulled in by the blankness of her canvas. I prefer the rich painting that is Laurus. My vote is for Laurus.

(The Vegetarian: 0, Laurus: 1)

Amy: The scope of each of these books is larger than first appears, but specific scenes and feelings have stuck with me from The Vegetarian. I vote The Vegetarian.

(The Vegetarian: 1, Laurus: 1)

poingu : The Vegetarian and Laurus both moved me in unexpected ways. These two books are each like nothing I've ever read. They are stellar examples of how fearless contemporary fiction has become. I'm so grateful to the authors for writing them, and to their translators for making them available to me. While I'm at it I also want to give a virtual standing ovation to our judges too, for advancing two novels-in-translation, and for being open to books that are each very challenging in their own way--books that don't strike me as being odds-on favorites for pleasing a lot of readers in a row. The Vegetarian has a profound ability to disturb and upend expectations. It reminds me of a master short story. Laurus is a sweeping novel that reaches across time itself: it engaged me emotionally, philosophically, intellectually, aesthetically. They are each 5-star reads for me and they are easily my favorite two reads of the year. Recognizing that I’m basing my vote on a pre-conceived value judgment--that I apparently value scope over narrow focus, my vote for the win goes to Laurus.

(The Vegetarian: 1, Laurus: 2)

Jan : I just could not work up an appetite for The Vegetarian, which given the awards and widespread love for it, left me feeling like I failed as a reader. Laurus managed to be both profound and delightful, with extra points for flying completely beneath my radar prior to the Alt.TOB. So, in this pairing, I enthusiastically choose Laurus.

(The Vegetarian: 1, Laurus: 3)

Jason Perdue : My final vote is for Laurus.
This was my favorite, most moving book of the tournament. And It's a vote for the much-maligned Goodreads scores. Laurus was the highest GR rated book in the alt.ToB.

(The Vegetarian: 1, Laurus 4)

Melanie Green My vote goes to The Vegetarian.

(The Vegetarian: 2, Laurus 4)

Heather : Here’s what I said about The Vegetarian in my semi-final decision: “It haunted my dreams and took my breath away.” Here’s what I said about Laurus in my Goodreads Review: “There were moments of sheer beauty, there were life truths revealed that made me gasp at their veracity, but mainly this book made me think I wasn’t smart enough for this book.” So I think it’s clear where my heart lies: The Vegetarian takes it, but both were worthy finalists.

(The Vegetarian: 3, Laurus: 4)

Drew : These are both terrific books and I think they'd both be even better on a second read. They are both quietly emotional and powerful. Having said that I have to pick Laurus . It really appealed to me as a former student of Russian language and literature plus I really felt Arseny's pain as he tried to atone for the death of Ustina and their baby.

(The Vegetarian: 3, Laurus: 5)

Mainon : Both of these books were surprising and intriguing and vastly different from the usual fare. But one kept me thinking about it long after I'd put it down, while the other quickly faded from memory. My vote is for The Vegetarian.

(The Vegetarian: 4, Laurus: 5)

Sarah : My vote is for Laurus. Laurus resounded with me much more than The Vegetarian, and I think winning the alt.ToB will help it to get into many more hands than it would otherwise.

(The Vegetarian: 4, Laurus: 6)

Dianne : The Vegetarian is an impressive work, addressing what it means to be human, the identity of the 'self', the roles people overtly play in society and the roles they hide from society. Yeong-hye's self, as perceived by those around her, is portrayed by Kang in a brilliant way, for somehow she seems to be screaming throughout the entire novel, while remaining perfectly silent. Laurus tackles similar issues of self and its abnegation, but does so on a much grander, sweeping scale, encompassing all that it means to be human, all that it means to have loved and lost. While the Vegetarian points a pinpoint laser at individual pain and suffering, Laurus casts a sweeping spotlight on the suffering and redemption of all of humanity. I vote: Laurus.

(The Vegetarian: 4, Laurus: 7)

Kristin-Leigh : Both finalists being excellent, I have to follow my heart on this one - and my heart says The Vegetarian. It's rare for a book to haunt me like this one has, with imagery and atmosphere so vivid they keep popping back into my thoughts months after my initial reading. Han Kang is a force to be reckoned with, and I wholly believe she deserves this year's alt-TOB crown!

(The Vegetarian: 5, Laurus: 7)


Caroline : In some ways, I regret that I encountered 'Laurus' in a context where I had to speed through it, because it feels like the kind of book that would benefit from lingering over the scenes and ideas. But 'The Vegetarian' was a book that grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I found out what happened to Yeong-hye and her family, and it has stayed with me for a long time after. 'Laurus' is fascinating, but this is an easy choice. The Vegetarian wins.

(The Vegetarian: 6, Laurus 7)

WINNER: Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin!!

Bravo to all the judges and commenters! I'm thrilled to have read all these books (well, still actually finishing Laurus), and so happy to have been able to follow along with the tournament!

Really, really good stuff. This has been a bright spot in the midst of ejection-related madness, for sure!

I think I'm now going to read the shortlist for the Center for Fiction 2016 First Novel Prize.
http://centerforfiction.org/awards/th...

(Sorry; on my phone and can't make a link!)

The Girls is on this list, too. The list looks awesome. Super diverse. All but one author is a woman! Majority people of color! Anyone else following this one?

Congratulations to Laurus and congratulations to Amy and Amber for putting on another excellent, well-organized alt-TOB!

Wow! What a great tournament and what an unexpected yet well-deserved result!

I second and third the congratulations. I was hoping The Vegetarian would win but now I will definitely get to Laurus.

Thanks to all who contributed to the success of the tournament! Both books were memorable, intense reads. I would have struggled to make a choice between the two.

I echo the profuse thanks to Amy and Amber especially and all the judges and commenters, it was a great first exposure for me to TOB!

thank you so much -- everyone who put so much time and energy into the 2nd alt.TOB!! it's been a pleasure to 'tune in' every day. i hope you had a great time with it all!! :)

This was super fun to be involved with and to read. Thanks Amy, Amber, Kristen-Leigh and everyone else. Looking forward to alt.TOB 2017!

I was very excited to see that Laurus won! (I already told Eugene and our publisher!) I'm also excited that The Vegetarian, which I have not yet read, was the other finalist: it's just fantastic to see such appreciation for translated fiction. Thank you everybody, particularly Amy, who invited me to join this group so I could follow along with all the commentary.

Happy reading to everyone!

That's awesome that the author and the publisher are aware of our little alt-TOB, and extra-awesome that the translator has been following it! Congrats to you, Lisa. And thank you so much, tournament organizers, for all of your hard work. It was thrilling to be a part of it.

I have been a silent bystander this time around but want to give a big shout out to the organizers, judges, and commentators for providing a fantastic daily read! The write ups and commentary were consistently well written and thoughtful. Thank you!!

This has been so much fun hanging out with you guys. I have been totally impressed with the group that has come together around the alt tourney, the great job Amy & Amber have done behind the scenes, and the thoughtfulness of the judgments and commentary. And yay, Laurus! May Arseny rest in peace and find the wider audience this book so richly deserves!! @Lisa, thank you for joining us!!

So much fun! Thanks to the organizers, commentators, and other judges for contributing. I still haven't finished Bright Lines and Not Dark Yet but am working on the former and intend to read them both. I don't think there was one book of the 16 I hated and that's pretty damn good!

Thanks to all the contributors and commenters! It was a lot of work but really fun! I listed the final votes in the order they received and was on the "edge of my seat" to know the result! What a fun side of the event to be on!

Let us know when you finish the whole bracket and we've got some 2017 TOB contenders to send your way!

Now we only have to wait till Dec for the longlist!

Heather wrote: "That's awesome that the author and the publisher are aware of our little alt-TOB, and extra-awesome that the translator has been following it! Congrats to you, Lisa. And thank you so much, tourname..."

Thank you, Heather, and @Jan, too! The publisher was very excited and I'm sure Eugene is, too, though I haven't heard from him since the two finalists were announced. (He's been traveling!) Most of all, like Jan, I'm also very happy Laurus and The Vegetarian, too, are both gaining wider audiences. (This has all been a reminder that I've been meaning to buy The Vegetarian... I feel especially silly that I haven't yet done so: the translator will be at the translator conference I'm going to next week!)

I'll be watching for news on the 2017 TOB!

Big thanks to all the judges, moderators, and commentators, especially to Amy and Amber for organizing the tournament this year.

This was such a well-organized, engaging event. I appreciate the passion and dedication of everyone who brought it to us!

Another silent watcher here, but kudos to all involved for such a well done tournament. The time and effort put into this is, I'm sure not insignificant, so thank you for doing it for our enjoyment!

It's great that the final vote was so close. Hats off to both books.

I enjoyed this very much, too. Nice job.

A silent observer this time, but incredibly impressed with the organization, quality of the judging and commentary. Will try to clear my calendar next year to get more involved...and hopefully most of these books, including the two winners, will be gone from my TBR pile by then.

Sure! We'd love to get more folks involved next year!

I slowed down on Laurus once the tournament ended, but finally finished! Bracket complete! Thanks again for such a great mix of books. I'm happy to have read several things that wouldn't have pinged my radar otherwise. I'm curious what might end up in the 2017 ToB from this list!

Great fun! Thanks for all your hard work.

I finally finished the last book, Not Dark Yet. So pleased the alt.TOB gave me the opportunity to read it since I don't believe I had heard of it before.

Drew wrote: "I finally finished the last book, Not Dark Yet. So pleased the alt.TOB gave me the opportunity to read it since I don't believe I had heard of it before."

Congrats Ehrrin & Drew! Our Completionists! :)

Impressive!!

Dianne wrote: "Impressive!!"

Impressively nerdy, maybe. :) Congrats to Ehrrin! What was your favorite book of the tournament? I can't choose just one. And I didn't hate any of them!

@Drew, LaRose was my favorite, but I also really loved The Sport of Kings, The Core of the Sun, The Girls, The Association of Small Bombs, The Vegetarian, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, The Book of Harlan, Sweetgirl.... really loved most of the list, liked most of the rest. So glad I read them all! And totally felt a sense of all being right with the world once I'd finished the complete list!

What was your favorite?

Ehrrin wrote: "What was your favorite?"

I've been pondering this for several days and have decided I can't choose just one!