Susanna Kwan’s debut novel AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY is one of three finalists for the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. In a statement, 2026 judges Rachel Beanland, Dionne Irving, and Taymour Soomro said: “While these books are very different from one another, they each in their own way speak to loneliness and grief and this sense that, in the midst of so much chaos and loss, we are wired to keep going and to strive for connection and meaning. These books approached some heavy subjects—death, displacement, and even heartbreak—with honesty, humility and humor, and in reading them, we felt cracked open and also maybe, in some small way, hopeful.” The winner will be announced in early April, and all three finalists will be honored on April 26 at the 50th Anniversary PEN/Hemingway Award Ceremony. Pantheon published AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY on May 13, 2025.