TALK Series: Award Winners - Charming Billy by Alice McDermott

The best-known book awards tend to shine a spotlight on well-wrought literary works rather than formulaic best-sellers. A novel or collection of stories that wins a major national book award can often be among the most widely read literary works of its day. By upholding a standard of literary excellence, the awards can help ensure that the most significant books will find an audience, both in the moment and for years to come. This series is sponsored by Humanities Kansas.

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott, National Book Award Winner (1998)

Billy Lynch’s family and friends have gathered at a small Bronx bar.  They have come to comfort his widow and to eulogize one of the last great romantics, trading tales of his famous humor, immense charm, and unfathomable sorrow.  As they linger on into one extraordinary night, their voices form Billy’s tragic story and their mourning becomes a gentle homage to all the lives in their small community fractured by grief, shattered by secrets, and sustained by the simple dream of love.