State of Grace is a 1973 debut novel by Joy Williams, published by Doubleday. Receiving "nearly universal acclaim" and high expectations set for Williams' career henceforth, it was a finalist for the 1974 National Book Award for Fiction.
Gail Godwin, writing for The New York Times, called the book a "Bleak but beautifully-crafted first novel" and concluded her review with "a most grateful welcome to a firstâÂÂrate new novelist."
The Brooklyn Rail lauded Williams' ability to capture "self-abandonment in stunning and singular proseâÂÂincantatory, lush, and decidedly different from all that she would come to write in the fifty years that have followed State of Grace<nowiki/>'s publication" and the "fever dream" that enraptures her protagonist, Kate.