The novel by Jayne Anne Phillips that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2024 was Night Watch.
Published in 2023, Night Watch is historical fiction set in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Much of the story unfolds at West Virginia’s Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, where a badly wounded Union veteran, a young girl named ConaLee, and her abused mother struggle with the psychological and physical scars of war.
The 2024 Pulitzer recognized work published during the preceding year, which explains why a 2023 novel received the 2024 award. Night Watch was also longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. The other choices were prominent 2023 books, but Demon Copperhead won the 2023 Pulitzer, while The Covenant of Water and The Wager were not the 2024 fiction winner.