Fiction winner

( Gary Ottley / Associated Press )

Tinkers by Paul Harding.

An astonishing novel that evokes the past of a man in his last, confused days, Tinkers is a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction.

Harding said: I worked on it for 5 to 6 years and actually tried to have it published, but couldn't find an agent or a publisher. From the moment I saw one copy in between two covers, it was all gravy from there.

The finalists were Love in Infant Monkeys by Lydia Millet and In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin.