Zorrie (2021) by Laird Hunt

Book Review

Zorrie (2021)

by Laird Hunt

   The 2021 National Book Award finalist designation for Zorrie by Laird Hunt has the feeling of a career achievement nod, Hunt being the author of six previous novels, most on a small press.  Zorrie was published by Bloomsbury, firmly placing him in the big leagues of marketing attention. Perhaps that has something to do with the National Book Award achievement. I'm not sure how else to explain the recognition for Zorrie, a Alice Munro-like portrait of the life of a woman who is born, lives and dies in a  part of rural Indiana.  She marries, does not have children, her husband dies in World War II and then she stays single for the rest of her life. 

    Of course, there is something extremely impressive about managing to capture an entire life in 128 pages.  It is hardly a life filled with incident, but isn't that the point? This is an excellent piece of domestic fiction, written about the American Midwest, about the life of a character who is underrepresented in the literature of that time and place.