Some thoughts on the Booker longlist…
I don’t usually post about the Booker long or short list because, for the last couple of years have been slightly disappointed with their choices.
However, this year’s longlist was announced yesterday and to my surprise, I’ve already read five of the listed books – the most I think I’ve ever read from their longlist. Moreover, the five I have read have all been some of my top reads of the year.
Here are links to my reviews:
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
Case Study by Graeme Macrea Burnet
The Keegan and the Strout both made my best books of 2021 list and Trust will undoubtedly make my best of 2022 along with Audrey Magee’s The Colony. I’m not sure why I didn’t write about The Colony on my blog but I thought that it was a wonderful achievement.
There are two books that I really hoped to see on the longlist and they were Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel and Spies in Canaan by David Park, both of which I thought would have been thoroughly deserving of the shortlist, but as it goes with the Booker, there are always the ones who got away…
In terms of the other books on the longlist, I’m very keen to read The Trees by Percival Everett, which had already been on my radar; Treacle Walker by the legend that is Alan Garner and Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley.
Are there any other longlisted titles that you would recommend? Or was there a book that you were sure would make the longlist, but has missed out?
Cathy746books View All →
I am a 40 something book buying addict trying to reduce the backlog one book at a time!
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Ha, this was the first year for a while that I’ve read absolutely nothing from the Booker longlist! It does look interesting but I won’t be adding anything to my TBR that wasn’t there already. I’m sad not to see Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under The Sea and Hanya Yanagihara’s To Paradise – I thought both were superb.
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I haven’t read To Paradise but thought it would be a definite to be honest.
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I’m sorry, I was disappointed by this longlist. It’s offers no sense that it encompasses international fiction, it’s just the US, UK & Ireland and one from Sri Lanka.
Nothing from Canada, or Australia, or NZ, or India, and nothing from the rich pickings among African authors who publish in English except Bulawayo who’s been in the US for so long now, I read her style and preoccupations as American.
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I was surprised that there was nothing from Australia to be honest, which is a real shame.
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Exactly my reaction too Lisa. One of the aspects of the Booker I used to love was its internationalism. But in recent years that has dwindled to the point where we hardly ever see anything from Australia, New Zealand and India.
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Great post, Cathy – thanks. I rather enjoyed seeing the Long List this year. The books seemed less depressing than in the last few yeas. But yes, I was also dismayed to see that half of them came from the US. Maybe this is where the edgy stuff comes from. Hopefully the US influence will get whittled down for the Short List.
I rather wish the Seasons Quartet by Ali Smith had been nominated but some authors refuse to allow their publishers to nominate them.
Anyway, the one I’ve read is Oh William by Strout. I’ve had Hernan Diaz’ Trust on my Wish List for a long time and I may buy and read Small Things Like This very shortly – tomorrow maybe. LOL (It’s very short.)
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I’m not being parochial, though Australian and NZ lit is what I know best. There’s a couple of Kiwi books that I’d be nominating as well.
But I’m actually more concerned that their horizons seem so circumscribed.
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I’ve only read the Keegan but I loved it as well!
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It’s a little gem, isn’t it?
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Everything I’ve read by her so far I’ve loved!
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Well done for having read 5! I’ve only seen one person (Eric, of course) who’s read more than that, at 6. It’s a refreshing list, though I can see as above that it has its limitations.
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Complete chance Rebecca, I bet none of my 5 make the shortlist now 😊
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I have tried and tried to post this but it won’t go through. That was a super post, Cathy – thanks. I rather enjoyed seeing the Long List this year. The books seemed less depressing than in the last few yeas. But yes, I was also dismayed to see that half of them came from the US. Maybe this is where the edgy stuff comes from. Hopefully the US influence will get whittled down for the Short List.
I rather wish the Seasons Quartet by Ali Smith had been nominated but some authors refuse to allow their publishers to nominate them.
Anyway, the one I’ve read is Oh William by Strout. I’ve had Hernan Diaz’ Trust on my Wish List for a long time and I may buy and read Small Things Like This very shortly – tomorrow maybe. LOL (It’s very short.)
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Yes, I agree, they could have spread their nets wider I think. Small Things is short (shortest ever to make the longlist apparently!) but it packs a real emotional punch.
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I’ve read two (Case Study and Oh William!). I enjoyed the Strout but it was ‘very Strout’ – not that that makes it unworthy of a Booker but… but… I think I stated my thoughts on Case Study when you reviewed it – it was an exciting book, the structure clever and I was absolutely convinced by what I was reading.
Not sure what else I will read from the list. I have Booth and am interested in Trust.
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I really liked Trust Kate, so clever and also very readable, even with the Wall Street finance theme! I must take a look at Booth as well.
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Like you, I am happy to see ‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz on the list.
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So clever, I loved it.
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I was so pleased to see Keegan and Magee listed, both thoroughly deserving of the judges’ attention. Even as a devoted Strout fan I was quite surprised to see Oh, William there. Good but not her best, I think.
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Yes, I agree about the Strout, even though I enjoyed it very much. The Colony was a nice inclusion. I thought it was a really intelligent book.
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I’ve read two – Small Things Like These and Oh William! Not surprised to see Small Things Like These on the list but I wouldn’t have bet on Oh William! being there because, although I enjoyed it and Strout is a great writer, it didn’t seem obviously Booker material. Overall it strikes me as quite an “accessible” list. I’m probably most interested to read The Colony as that seemed to appear in a lot of pre-announcement predictions
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The Colony is really great, I highly recommend it. I know what you mean about Oh William! even though I loved it too, I was surprised to see it on there.
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I love the wide age range of the authors (20 to 87!) and this is yet another kick in the pants to read Small Things Like These, but I’m saving my energy for the Giller (and hoping a certain Irish-Canadian author makes the longlist)
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Booth is very good, very different, very well written. I loved the Strout, as well. But… I’m hoping that it goes to Keegan… what a very special novel (novella?)!
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I’ve read two (the Keegan and Strout) and have three on my TBR that I’m rather keen to get to, and even keener now (the Burnet, Magee and Schwartz). Like you, I loved Keegan’s a lot, but not sure a novella has enough ooomph to satisfy most readers? And the Strout was enjoyable but like Lisa, I can’t help but think there must have been at least one Canadian, African, Indian, Australian, Caribeean or NZ writer that could have snuck onto this list
(by the by Strout has a new one coming out this Christmas – Lucy & William do the pandemic!)
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I was surprised to see Strout on the list, even though I loved the book.
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Interesting you’ve read so many! In previous years books that haven’t yet been published were often on the list because I recall pre-ordering titles. I wonder if this is because the prize now has an international focus? Unfortunately this prize has become northern hemisphere centric since it changed its rules and is now dominated by US writers. This is a shame because for a long time the Booker was the route to worldwide attention for little known writers from Africa and Australia/NZ but now that door appears to be closed to them.
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I have never read this many before, just luck this time round. I think the inclusion of US writers has ironically narrowed the scope of the prize which is, as you say, a real shame.
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Hmm, I’ve read precisely none so far, but I have four of them on my TBR – so behind with new releases this year! I’d have liked to have seen Andrew Greig’s Rose Nicolson on the list – for me, definitely one of the best of the year, and Booker-worthy!
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I’ve read the Diaz and the Keegan and loved both. I’ll be reading The Colony and others, although maybe only one or two until the shortlist is announced. That’s the beauty of library reserves; the choice to take back the ones I don’t get to/that don’t make the short list and not feel guilty!
I agree with those who feel disappointed. I’ve been disappointed and sad ever since the Booker allowed in the Americans, and I’m an American. What I so loved about the Booker was how it introduced me to authors throughout the Commonwealth, discoveries that excited me and stretched my reading lists.
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im currently reading and loving The Colony!! super excited to get to Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and Nightcrawling as well 👀
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I’ve just started Nightcrawling, but I’m not getting on with it at all. I’m going to read a bit more though before I come to any conclusions!
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Interesting post and even more interesting comments. I loved Trust, but it’s the only one on the long list that I’ve read. I’m waiting for the short list before I read more. Here in America, I often find that many of the titles aren’t available when the list is announced but I always try to read a few.
I agree with others that the inclusion of American titles has been a mixed blessing at best. I liked getting a recommendation for reading titles from other parts of the world. I do still have the international prize for that.
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The International Prize is usually a lot more interesting I find but I was pleased to see Trust on the list.
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