“Blessed My Young” Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award

Claire Monet’s debut novel Blessed My Young has been longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award, the PEN America Foundation announced today.

This marks a significant career milestone for Monet, whose first book — published two years ago to quiet but fervent acclaim — continues to find new readers and critical recognition. The PEN/Hemingway Award honors a distinguished first book of fiction by an American author, celebrating emerging voices that demonstrate exceptional promise and literary excellence.

Blessed My Young follows sixteen-year-old Ruth Ellison as she discovers a box of letters that forces her to reexamine the carefully constructed story of her family. With remarkable emotional clarity and restraint, Monet explores the complicated transition from childhood to adulthood and the moment we stop inheriting our parents’ silences.

In a statement, Claire Monet shared: “I’m deeply moved by this recognition. Blessed My Young was a very personal book for me — one that asked difficult questions about the stories we are told and the stories we eventually choose to tell. To see it honored alongside such extraordinary debut fiction feels both humbling and hopeful.”

The longlist features twelve titles. The shortlist will be announced in early February 2026, with the winner revealed in April.

This latest honor adds to the growing recognition of Claire Monet’s work, following the critical success of her most recent novel, Wings Like Dust, and further establishes her as one of the most compelling literary voices of her generation.