Night of the Living Rez

Winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, American Academy of Arts & Letters Sue Kaufman Prize, The New England Book Award, and the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree A Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction, the Chautauqua Prize 2023, and Barnes & Noble Discover Book Prize

Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy.

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize

Winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize

A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family’s unravelling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs. Night of the Living Rez, the book that heralded the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction, is an unforgettable portrayal of an Indigenous community.

‘Magnificent.’ Lily King, New York Times

‘Remarkable. . . . An electric, captivating voice. . . . Talty has assured himself a spot in the canon of great Native American literature.’ New York Times

‘Captivating.’ TIME

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize

Winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize

A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family’s unravelling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs. Night of the Living Rez, the book that heralded the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction, is an unforgettable portrayal of an Indigenous community.