Alice McDermott and Claire Jiménez are among 5 finalists for PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction

NEW YORK (AP) — Alice McDermott’s novel about military wives in Vietnam, “Absolution,” and the Jamel Brinkley story collection “Witness” are among the finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. The other nominees announced Tuesday include Henry Hoke’s “Open Throat,” the rare novel to be narrated by a mountain lion; Claire Jiménez’s family drama-mystery, “What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez,” and Colin Winnette’s tech-saga, “Users.” The winner, who will be announced next month, receives $15,000. The runners-up each get $5,000. Previous winners include Philip Roth, Ann Patchett and Yiyun Li.