Associate professor of English Drew Perry’s debut novel “This is Just Exactly Like You” has been named one of seven finalists for the 2010 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize.
Now in its fifth year and previously known as The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the award honors work by a first-time author whose book was published in the 2010 calendar year.
The winner will be announced in December. Top prize receives $10,000. All other finalists will receive $1,000.
When Jack Lang, the owner of a North Carolina mulch company, impulsively buys the house across the street from where he lives, it’s the final straw for his wife, Beth, who flees into the arms of Jack’s best friend. What happens next is the plot to Perry’s “This is Just Exactly Like You,” published by Viking Press and given glowing reviews in several national publications.