Semi Finalist

Assessment:

Plot: Words of Love, a romance novel told entirely through text messages, emails, journal entries, and social media posts, is a strikingly poetic work of fiction. Throughout, the characters of Jamie and Taylor reflect poignantly on relationships, their individual passions, and their observations of the busy world unfolding around them.

Prose: Shahabi's prose is the highlight of this work. Rather than coming across as a storytelling gimmick, the unique format serves as a springboard for the author's poetic sensibility and lyricism. 

Originality: While novels told through text messaging or social media have been created before, Words of Love is uncommon in its eloquence, quiet grace, and beauty.

Character/Execution: Though readers may not gain a complete picture of Jamie and Taylor--what they look like, the particulars of their professions--they will nevertheless feel intimately connected to them as they gain an authentic glimpse into their internal lives.

Date Submitted: August 27, 2022