Someone (McDermott novel)

Someone: A Novel

First edition
Author	Alice McDermott
Language	English
Genre	Fiction
Publisher	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date	September 10, 2013
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	240
ISBN	978-0-374-28109-0

Someone: A Novel is the seventh book of fiction by American author Alice McDermott. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2013, it was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Critical reception

• Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, summarizing that there's "no high drama here, but Marie and Gabe are compelling in their basic goodness." ^[1]
• Writing in The New York Times , Janet Maslin praised the novel, stating Someone is a "wonderfully modest title for such a fine-tuned, beautiful book filled with so much universal experience, such haunting imagery, such urgent matters of life and death." ^[2] Maslin later named Someone to her best of 2013 books list. ^[3]
• Publishers Weekly gave Someone a starred review, calling it a "deceptively simple tour de force." ^[4]
• The Los Angeles Times claimed, "Just as McDermott manages to write lyrically in plain language, she is able to find the drama in uninflected experience." ^[5]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2013	National Book Award	Fiction	Longlisted	[6]
	National Book Critics Circle Award	Fiction	Shortlisted	[7]
2014	Dayton Literary Peace Prize	Fiction	Shortlisted	[8]
	Maine Readers' Choice Award	—	Longlisted
	Paterson Fiction Prize	Fiction	Shortlisted
2015	International Dublin Literary Award	—	Shortlisted	[9]

References

1. "Someone". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
2. Maslin, Janet (October 7, 2013). "Survivor Among a Lifetime of Ghosts". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
3. Maslin, Janet (December 19, 2013). "Janet Maslin's 10 Favorite Books of 2013". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
4. "Someone". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
5. McNulty, Charles (September 13, 2013). "Alice McDermott's snapshots of a woman in 'Someone'". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
6. "National Book Awards 2013". National Book Foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
7. Florez, Paul. "NBCC Fiction Finalist Alice McDermott in Conversation with Paul Florez". www.bookcritics.org. National Book Critics Circle. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
8. "2014 – Dayton Literary Peace Prize" . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
9. "2015 International Dublin Literary Award". Dublin Literary Award. Retrieved April 11, 2025.