Tournament of Books - Homes vs. Fountain

May We Be Forgiven vs. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

vs.

You may read my extensive reviews of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and May We Be Forgiven, but ultimately I give the win to Homes.  Both deal with depressing subject matter - war is out of Billy's control and Harold causes most of his bad situation - but the humor in the Homes kept me reading.  I was constantly surprised by little jokes or funny descriptions or well-written characters, and it was just a more enjoyable read.

The first line drew me in and the writing kept me there:

"Do you want my recipe for disaster?
The warning sign: last year, Thanksgiving at their house."

 Thanks to Ben Fountain, though, for writing a war book I could tolerate.

You can see the official Tournament of Books winner at their website.