Sunday, October 10, 2010

Who will win the Man Booker Prize this year?

The last four novels I have read have been from this year's longlist. Let me risk exposing my little intelligence today. My reviews/analyses are just a few posts earlier to this. These authors are new to me and it's been enchanting reading each and every one of them.

1. In a Strange Room: Damon Galgut's novel on travels through Africa, Europe and India is head and shoulders above the rest of the novels. It was the first time I was reading something on traveling and I absolutely loved it. It haunts me even today. This is my probably my first sparsely written novel and the feelings of the characters grew on me as time went by.

2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet: David Mitchell's latest didn't survive the cull from the longlist to the shortlist so can't win the day after tomorrow. From the ones I have read on this year's longlist this is my second choice. It's a crackling historical, romantic, metafictional, magically real, political, action-adventure. I toh loved it 'pa. The head of the jury flatly said it was not good enough to make it to the shortlist.

3. Parrot and Olivier in America: Peter Carey will look to do the unprecedented, win this prize for the third time. Now I wouldn't be surprised if this won. It has everything I love in a historical piece: very very vivid visuals, two well-explained and different characters, politics, romance. I also liked it since it had no story to speak of, it's about building a mood and I love this novels. I wouldn't mind if this won for I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4. The Long Song: Andrea Levy probably won't win this year. This novels doesn't have the detailing like the other two historical novels on my list, the drama doesn't reach the fever pitch 'The Thousand Autumns...' attains, characterization is not very very strong either. Of course, perhaps I missed too much.

Let's see what happens the day after tomorrow. I have not read three others from the shortlist.

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