His first novel , Jernigan ( 1991 ) , about a dysfunctional one - parent family , was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1992 .
Was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award .
His first novel , Jernigan ( 1991 ) , about a dysfunctional one - parent family , was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1992 and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award .