Booker - the odds reduced. We have a shortlist
Edit: Well I got John’s list totally wrong (thanks for the headsup) so I’m re-writing this post.
Actually we have three. The two that I’d be more inclined to trust and the ‘real’ shortlist. Book prizes are a wonderful way of narrowing down the vast number of books published each year and highlighting some of the reading options but when it comes to the winners (depending on how it’s judged) I’m not always convinced that it’s the hottest book that we get - rather the korma that everyone can stomach. Am I being too unfair?
Anyway, there seems to be some consensus amongst our judges though only the Bookerthon judges chose from the debuts. Neither chose The Reluctant Fundamentalist or On Chesil Beach so you can bet that one of them is going to win and I’m betting on McEwan! Kidding.
John Self’s Shortlist
Nicola Barker, Darkmans
Peter Ho Davies, The Welsh Girl
Anne Enright, The Gathering
Tan Twan Eng, The Gift of Rain
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip
Indra Sinha, Animal’s People
Dovegreyreader’s Shortlist
Darkmans by Nicola Barker
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Self Help by Edward Docx
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha
The Actual Shortlist
Lloyd Jones - Mister Pip
Ian McEwan - On
Nicola Barker - Darkmans
Mohsin Hamid - The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Anne Enright - The Gathering
Indra Sinha - Animal’s People
Not having read a single one of them I couldn’t possibly make any sort of sensible prediction of the winner but my gut feeling is Darkmans should win.
It does go to show that you can’t really tell what books you’re going to like until you’ve actually read them.
Ooh, just for the record… I updated my blog sidebar today with the actual shortlist, which is why it looks above as though I am entirely at one with the judges!
In fact my choices for the shortlist were:
Nicola Barker, Darkmans
Peter Ho Davies, The Welsh Girl
Anne Enright, The Gathering
Tan Twan Eng, The Gift of Rain
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip
Indra Sinha, Animal’s People
I felt very strongly about The Welsh Girl being on there - it’s my favourite new book of the year so far - so am gutted that it didn’t make the cut. I urge everyone to read it anyway.
So I ended up getting four right (or should that be the judges ended up getting four right!!).
Now, my choice for the prize would have to be Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People. Vivid, funny, grotesque. Brilliant.
Gah! I thought that was a little strange. That’ll teach me! Right major edit on the main post on the way!
In that case Animal’s People is on the to buy list as soon as it comes out in paperback in Feb 08 and by that time I might have made a good dent in my TBR pile
Oh and I’ve done my Welsh WWII story for this year in the form of Resistance by Owen Sheers, which you’d probably like. Strangely Welsh Girl is also scheduled for Feb 08 publication so it’s down as next year’s Welsh WWII story
Strangely, despite being in the news since the longlist was announced, The Guardian seems to have only gotten round to reviewing Animal’s People today. Like John, it’s the book I now want to win. (And I say that as I trudge through Darkmans, the last of the shortlist I need to read, knowing that it’s never going to get any better for me.)