At the 70th National Book Awards on Wednesday evening, Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise (Holt) won the fiction prize — an upset among publishers, at least, as Choi’s book was the only non-Penguin Random House finalist of the category. “I’m actually really surprised,” said a teary Choi before thanking her many collaborators. She added, “The longer I do this, write books and teach writing for a living, the more I’m struck with how it’s its own reward.” Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House (Grove) won the nonfiction prize. Broom offered a tribute to her family, noting her mother was with her […]