Booker Prize 2022

[holyzombiejesus]

Longlist announced today.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

Trust by Hernan Diaz

The Trees by Percival Everett

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shahan Karunatilaka

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Colony by Audrey Magee

Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

After Sappho by Selby Lynn Schwartz

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

Quite surprised that I've already read 4 of these (Treacle Walker, Small Things, Case Study and Night Crawling) and have another (Booth) next to the bed.

Of the 4 I've read, I definitely liked Small Things Like These most .It was such a beautiful and tender novel, pretty close to perfect although it may be too slight to win the prize. Treacle Walker was fun and it's be lovely to see Alan Warner win. Case Study, I found frustrating. Like one of Burnet's previous books (His Bloody Project), it sets up a really intriguing ending but then just doesn't deliver. It just kind of... ends. Night Crawling was ace, didn't relise the author was only 20.

I really liked Herman Diaz's previous book so am looking forward to Trust. Also like the sound of Percival Everett's The Trees (although it seems to be OOP at the moment).

Not too sure about some of the others though. Maps of our Spectacular Bodies "which tells the story of a woman with cancer trying to come to terms with her illness, and is partially narrated by the cancer cells in her body" and After Sappho, which "begins in 1880s Italy, introducing the baby who will grow up to become the Italian poet Lina Poletti, and moves forward through time spotlighting groundbreaking writers and artists including Virginia Woolf, Josephine Baker and Radclyffe Hall." and Glory, "which is narrated by a chorus of animals and inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm. A response to the fall of Robert Mugabe, it describes a coup that ousts Old Horse as leader after 40 years in power, alongside his despised wife, a donkey named Marvellous" really don't sound like my cup of tea. Not a huge fan of Strout either although haven't read anything since...Barton so might give Oh William! a try.

Don't know anything about the other two.

[mr. logic]

Went into Waterstones (Newcastle) yesterday and they didn't have a single one of these, besides the single one I have already read. That's a bit shit isn't it.

Went to Blackwells and similar story, but I did manage to get After Sappho. Very enjoyable and worthy, of course, but doesn't have a chance of winning.

[BritishHobo]

I've done fuck-all reading this year, but this looks to be the most interesting longlist for a few years, so I've picked up a few. I'd been meaning to get around to Case Study and Booth, as I've enjoyed their previous works. A couple sound extremely tedious, but they look to be (hopefully) outweighed.

[Bennett Brauer]

I was surprised to see Alan Garner on the long list and I'd be astonished if he got any further. Not that I've read Treacle Walker yet, but it did nudge me to dig out the books of his I thought I had. All I could find was a tatty paperback of The Owl Service and a pristine hardback tribute to him called First Light, so I guess I've given them away without thinking about it or have gone mad.

I see the prize is still £50,000 when it should be around £75,000 now if linked to inflation. I'd probably turn it down if they offered it to me.

[holyzombiejesus]

I've done fuck-all reading this year, but this looks to be the most interesting longlist for a few years, so I've picked up a few. I'd been meaning to get around to Case Study and Booth, as I've enjoyed their previous works. A couple sound extremely tedious, but they look to be (hopefully) outweighed.

Are you blogging this year?

[Small Man Big Horse]

The Trees by Percival Everett

I've not read The Trees but I read I Am Not Sidney Poitier earlier this year and really liked it, it moves from tragedy to comedy and back and forth with impressive skill, and is for me an extremely memorable novel so I'll definitely check out The Trees when I get the chance.

[mr. logic]

I've not read The Trees but I read I Am Not Sidney Poitier earlier this year and really liked it, it moves from tragedy to comedy and back and forth with impressive skill, and is for me an extremely memorable novel so I'll definitely check out The Trees when I get the chance.

Same exact thing here, except I read Telephone instead of I Am Not Sidney Poitier.

[holyzombiejesus]

Booth is really good. Probably my second favourite after Small Things Like These. Going to move on to The Colony or Trust tomorrow.

[holyzombiejesus]

Is anyone else bothering with this or is it just me?Just finished Audrey Magee's The Colony. Fucking brilliant. Didn't think anything could get near STLT but this came very close.

So far, STLT - The Colony - Booth - Nightcrawling - Treacle Walker - Case Study

Trust next.

[holyzombiejesus]

Finished Trust. Liked it less as I worked my way through it but it was ok, I guess. On Trees now. The short chapters are annoying me.

[Inspector Norse]

Haven't read any but as usual, there'll be three or four that stick in my memory and that I pick up at some point. Usually a year or two later as my to-read pile is always pretty high.

I definitely plan to read the Hernan Diaz as I really liked In the Distance. The Trees, Booth and Nightcrawling appeal too and I really like Alan Garner.

Interesting that two of the ones I skipped over at first glance are the ones you rate highest, will try to give those a go too.

[studpuppet]

Went into Waterstones (Newcastle) yesterday and they didn't have a single one of these, besides the single one I have already read. That's a bit shit isn't it. 

Waterstones' problem is ongoing:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/waterstones-battles-order-backlog-as-staff-and-customer-frustration-mounts-over-missing-stock

[holyzombiejesus]

Guessing for tomorrow's shortlist...

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

After Sappho by Selby Lynn Schwartz

[mr. logic]

Guessing for tomorrow's shortlist...

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

After Sappho by Selby Lynn Schwartz

Of the five I have read from these (not got round to Glory) I would pick out Nightcrawling as a pretty clear favourite

[holyzombiejesus]

Ah, did you read After Sappho? What did you think? I haven't bothered with it yet, flicked through it in the shop and it didn't look particularly engaging.

[mr. logic]

Ah, did you read After Sappho? What did you think? I haven't bothered with it yet, flicked through it in the shop and it didn't look particularly engaging.

It was the first one I read. Put it like this, it's telling that Lucy Ellman is the endorsement on the cover. It's readable in the moment, never something you have to drag yourself back to, but it is also pretty much sans plot and therefore difficult to remember in any meaningful sense. I do however recall enjoying it, so if you're hoping to do the full list, it holds no particular fears- I liked it more than Treacle Walker (guff) and Small Things like These (ludicrously slight).

[wrec]

I know Waterstones are having a nightmare but is it not always the case that demand outstrips supply at first when non-huge authors are nominated?

Read The Colony and really enjoyed it.

Spoiler alert

Was worried that it was building up to a very melodramatic climax and was very pleased that it didn't. My hot take is that it was inspired by 80s/90s Kerrygold adverts (is there something I can 'elp, who's taking the horse to France). I'm not very up on new fiction, but decent as it was would be surprised if there's nothing better on the list.

[close]

[mr. logic]

Shortlist:

NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwean), Glory

Percival Everett (US), The Trees

Alan Garner (British), Treacle Walker

Shehan Karunatilaka (Sri Lankan), The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Claire Keegan (Irish), Small Things Like These

Elizabeth Strout (US), Oh William!

Is The Trees back in print? I loved his last one. Of the ones I've read, 'Oh William!'

[holyzombiejesus]

Fucks sake.

https://twitter.com/kerrywk/status/1567538031934210054?t=ceM7xNBcAQfAbquvsl4Msw&s=19

[Inspector Norse]

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shahan Karunatilaka

So has anyone read this, the winner? Seemed to come from nowhere, but then I realised I'd read and liked his novel Chinaman a few years ago. About two booze-sozzled old academics searching for a legendary, half-forgotten cricketer. Very much a panorama/state-of-the-nation do but with some great writing on why sport matters to people.

Got Booth out of the library and read and enjoyed the first part today. Looking forward to the rest.