“It is high time defenders of American literary fiction cut Oprah Winfrey a break. These days, even Oprah is no longer Oprah, and while Mathis’s novel has shot up into the bestseller lists, it is unlikely stay there for months the way books did in the Book Club’s 1990s heyday. Still, imagine what would have happened if Winfrey hadn’t picked it. It still would have garnered raves from reviewers in print and online, and over time booksellers would have begun quietly putting it in the hands of favored customers. In other words, it would have remained a well-kept secret among a bookish few.” Our own Michael Bourne defends the queen of American book clubs.
And you can meet Ayana Mathis before the Oprah interview, tomorrow, Feb 2. at 4 pm, at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing.
33 Notes