Bryan Washington and Rabih Alameddine among National Book Award finalists

This year's fiction contenders also include Karen Russell, Megha Majumdar and Ethan Rutherford

Bryan Washington, Rabih Alameddine and Karen Russell are among the finalists for this year's National Book Awards.

The three authors will compete in the fiction category alongside Megha Majumdar and Ethan Rutherford. Last year's prize was handed to Percival Everett for James, his reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.