The Big Door Prize

By: M. O. Walsh

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

SOON TO BE A SERIES ON APPLE TV+

The New York Times bestselling author of My Sunshine Away returns with another instant Southern classic: a gripping and heartfelt novel about a mysterious machine that upends a small Louisiana town, asking us all to wonder if who we truly are is who we truly could be.

What would you do if you knew your life's potential? That's the question facing the residents of Deerfield, Louisiana, when the DNAMIX machine appears in their local grocery store. It's nothing to look at, really—it resembles a plain photo booth. But its promise is amazing: With just a quick swab of your cheek and two dollars, the device claims to use the science of DNA to tell you your life's potential. With enough credibility to make the townspeople curious, soon the former teachers, nurses, and shopkeepers of Deerfield are abruptly changing course to pursue their destinies as magicians, cowboys, and athletes—including the novel's main characters, Douglas Hubbard and his wife, Cherilyn, who both believed they were perfectly happy until they realized they could dream for more...

Written with linguistic grace and a sense of wonder, The Big Door Prize sparkles with keen observations about what it might mean to stay true to oneself while honoring the bonds of marriage, friendship, and community, and how the glimmer of possibility can pull these bonds apart, bring them back together, and make second chances possible, even under the strangest of circumstances.

©2020 M. O. Walsh (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of PopSugar’s 25 New Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in September

One of New York Post's Required Reading Picks

The Big Door Prize is M. O. Walsh’s long-awaited second novel and a captivating analysis of human nature, ambition, and how we chase our dreams while honoring our relationships and commitments.” –Deep South Magazine

“[Walsh] eloquently explores the idea of second changes and makes the surreal seem achingly and poignantly authentic.” –Augusta Chronicle

“The ability to take what is primarily a funny, engaging, leisurely paced look at Small Town, USA, a la Fannie Flagg, and turn it into a breathless, high-stakes page-turner in the last 60 pages speaks to the mastery of Walsh’s storytelling skills. But what makes The Big Door Prize most appealing is its deeply humane characters who are primarily sweet and kind-hearted, but who get drunk and fight and act a fool just enough to give them a bit of an edge. Weaving it all together is a gentle sense of humor conveyed through comic events and clever observations that make us laugh not so much at the characters but at the sight of ourselves within them.” –Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Enjoyable

I became fascinated by this premise after watching the Apple TV+ series. While the book is very different, I really enjoyed his writing style, and the way the narrator had a different voice for every character.

Great characters

I liked the colorful characters in the story. Now I am interested in watching the series based on the book

Beautiful

This is an incredible story, beautifully written and performed. M.O. Walsh does it again! It’s the perfect read for the end of 2020.

Loved the title and all the chapter headings were from John Prine songs

Very clever premise, loved this book. Great plot. I was glad to see that it was adapted into a tv series and even more pleased to find that the tv series has been picked up for season 2.

Interesting story

It was refreshing to listen to a story where the main characters where genuinely good and kind. The book is very different from the show, and really neither version appears to be better than the other. Just different. Each character in the book is fully developed and I enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen next. This book won’t change your life, but it is a good read.

Makes you think

This was a fantastic book to listen to! Makes you consider how everyone is viewing their lives at different moments.

Excellent Story, Narration, and Characters

Original idea superbly told, felt myself and my struggles in these characters. Great book and narration.

excellent narrator

see above - the title. A sweet book with a thoughtful premise. What if? Fun to ponder and good companions along the way.

Great story

I enjoyed the story. I wanted to know what happened to the characters. The narrator was great. He read fast enough with feeling. He has many voices.

What I look for in fiction.

When I read fiction, which is not my preferred genre, I look for characters I want to actually spend time with. I burned through this book in 3 days because i really liked these characters. (with the possible exception of one which I thought was too much of a cliche and not very well developed .).

To begin with, this is not the Netflix series. Netflix has taken two of the main characters and then altered just about every other character in the book. This is not a bad thing, it is just not the same thing as the book. As an example, the book doesn’t focus much on the machine, while the series seems to shroud it in some great mystery.

I was a little disappointed in the ending because it felt like it just dropped the other characters without really wrapping their stories.

If you are looking for a chance to spend some time with some truly human interactions, I definitely would recommend it.