''How Much of These Hills Is Gold'' is a 2020 debut novel by American author

C Pam Zhang C Pam Zhang (born 1990) is an American writer. Her debut novel, '' How Much of These Hills Is Gold'', was released by Riverhead Books in 2020 and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize. The same ye ...

. It was longlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

and won the

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (APAAL) are a set of literary awards presented annually by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). The APALA was formed in 1980 "to create an organization that would address the n ...

for Adult Fiction. The book was published by

Riverhead Books Riverhead Books is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) founded in 1994 by Susan Petersen Kennedy. Writers published by Riverhead include Ali Sethi, Marlon James (novelist), Marlon James, Junot Díaz, George Saunders, Khaled Hosseini, Nick Hornby, ...

in North America and by

Virago Press Virago is a British publisher of women's writing and books on Feminism, feminist topics. Started and run by women in the 1970s and bolstered by the success of the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM), Virago has been credited as one of several Briti ...

in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.

Development and writing

Zhang began the novel after waking up with the opening sentence in her head. She did not originally intend to write a novel, and after completing the first chapter, Zhang stopped working on the project for a period of time. The novel takes place in the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, a setting explored in novels Zhang read when young, including '' East of Eden'', ''

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but the third installment in the series chronologically. The story revolves around the relationships b ...

'', and ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

''. The first chapter was written without conducting research, as Zhang did not want research to "stifle" her writing. Though this novel was the first published by Zhang, she says that she has another "drawer" novel "that will never see the light of day".

Reception

Reviews

''How Much of These Hills is Gold'' received positive reviews from ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'', ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', and many other publications. Critics highlighted the lyrical quality of Zhang's writing. In his review of the book for ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Oliver Farry wrote that the book's prose was "reminiscent" of authors

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...

and

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

. Alexis Burling, writing for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'', called the author's prose "exquisitely crafted," saying that "Zhang captures not only the mesmeric beauty and storied history of America’s sacred landscape, but also the harsh sacrifices countless people were forced to make in hopes of laying claim to its bounty." ''Kirkus'' called the book " sthetically arresting and a vital contribution to America’s conversation about itself."

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's Annalisa Quinn provided a mixed review, stating, "Zhang's style can be densely, airlessly lovely. Self-conscious lyricism fills the page like all that California dust, sometimes making it hard to breathe." ''The Asian Review of Books'' also proffered a mixed review. The audiobook, narrated by Catherine Ho and

Joel de la Fuente Joel de la Fuente (born April 21, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained recognition for his role as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in '' Space: Above and Beyond'', and is best known for his roles as Dr. Johann Pryce in ''Hemlock Grove'', Kempeitai ...

, received a starred review from ''Booklist'''s Jane Philbrick, who stated, "The discrimination the family experiences brings an almost constant feeling of danger; Ho leans into its menace by emphasizing slurs, threats, or speeding through the adrenaline of violence. De la Fuente s... tired drawl reflects that history’s toll. " ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' listed Zhang's novel as one of "100 Notable Books of 2020."'

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

listed the novel as one of his favorite books of 2020. ''Kirkus'' and

named ''How Much of These Hills is Gold'' one of the best books of 2020.

Awards

References

{{reflist, 30em 2020 debut novels 2020 American novels 2020 LGBT-related literary works Orphans in fiction Western (genre) novels American historical fiction Novels set in the 1800s 2020s LGBT novels Virago Press books Riverhead Books books