Booker shortlist unveiled

The judges have announced the six novels on this year's Man Booker shortlist. They are as follows:

Darkmans by Nicola Barker
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha

Click to read the official press release.

Comments

[Kerry D.]

Yay for Lloyd Jones and Mister Pip. I admit I haven't read it, but as I'm a New Zealander and so is he, I'm delighted to see it made the short list. I've heard a lot of good things about it too.

[John Self]

Yes hurray for Mister Pip - a couple of people I know consider it offensively racist, which I really can't see at all.

Hurray also for Indra Sinha's Animal's People - vivid, funny, lively, grotesque and just a terrific read.

Boo for the failure to shortlist Peter Ho Davies's The Welsh Girl, my favourite new book of the year so far.

[Equiano]

Forget trying to read the shortlist, I'm still trying to finish THE RIVER for tomorrow's discussion!

[Isabel]

I was thinking the same thing as John about The Welsh Girl, which I will recommend for my book group.

[Danielle]

Yes, another boo for not shortlisting The Welsh Girl. I do want to read a few on the shortlist, but I was hoping to see Peter Ho Davies there as well.

[kimbofo]

My money is on Mister Pip -- although I haven't read it.

Sounds like I need to read The Welsh Girl, though. Is it really that good?

Personally, out of all of these, I'm most interested in Animal's People.

If On Chesil Beach wins I'll probably kill myself. I enjoyed it, but I don't think it deserves to be a Booker winner.

[nutmeg]

I'm with Kimbofo in that I don't think On Chesil Beach should win - it was only a 7 out of 10 read for me and that's NOT Booker material! And that's my two cents worth as I'm still to read Mister Pip as well!