2006 Man Booker Prize Shortlist Predictions

The official Booker Prize Longlist will be announced on Thursday, September 14th.

The TurboBookSnob feels that this is a strong year on the whole, perhaps the strongest longlist in quite some time! If you have the time, it's worth it to read this list.

The predictions below represent the six books that the TurboBookSnob feels should comprise the 2006 shortlist. She believes there is a chance that Peter Carey will make the list, but does not think that his novel was among the best of the bunch, and is therefore not included below.

After reading almost all of the books on the longlist, the TurboBookSnob is still firmly behind Be Near Me by Andrew O'Hagan for this year's winner!

2006 Longlist
	Title/Author	The TurboBookSnob's Comments
	Black Swan Green by David Mitchell	Black Swan Green is David Mitchell's fourth novel, and is a more traditional coming-of-age story than the literary pyrotechnics he produced in Ghostwritten, number9dream, and Cloud Atlas. The novel follows Jason Taylor during 13 months of his 13th year, as he navigates the precarious terrain of being an adolescent stutterer in the small town of Black Swan Green. While Jason has trouble expressing himself verbally, as a narrator he is sagacious, witty, and endearing. There is not much that escapes his unassuming yet discerning gaze, from his parents' marital problems, to the Falklands War, to the town's growing employment problems. This is Mitchell's most accessible work to date. The TurboBookSnob felt that he deserved the Booker for Cloud Atlas. Perhaps this is the novel that will appear to both the masses and the literati? It's certainly got the most buzz of any book on the longlist. TurboBookSnob Review
	The Perfect Man by Naeem Murr Publisher: William Heinemann	The Perfect Man is a coming of age story about Rajiv Travers, the child of an Indian mother and English father, who is abandoned and eventually ends up living in a Missouri town in the 1950s. This is an amazing story of childhood relationships, and brings to mind Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Anne of Green Gables. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
	Be Near Me by Andrew O'Hagan	Andrew O'Hagan's new novel, Be Near Me, tells the poignant and disturbing story of an English priest who takes on a Scottish parish later in life. The priest, perhaps unwisely, befriends several troubled youth of the parish, and as he spends time with them, reflects on his early years in Oxford and Rome. To be fair, the TurboBookSnob has not yet read all of the potential Booker candidates so far, however she is prepared to venture that this should be the 2006 Booker Prize winner. The writing is consistently gorgeous, and the entire book is so beautifully done that it is difficult to put down. TurboBookSnob Review
	The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson Publisher: Hamish Hamilton	This novel is the story of a Scottish minister who doesn't believe in God, but pursues a career in the church to satisfy the guilt he feels over the relationship with his father. The story is unfolded when a journalist discovers the minister's written testament. It was hailed by The Times as "Scottish gothic," and has been praised by Irvine Welsh as well. The writing in this novel is classic, and the book explores compelling issues of faith and belief. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
	The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth Publisher: Hamish Hamilton	Barry Unsworth's new novel, The Ruby in Her Navel, examines the war between Islam and Christianity in a story set at the court of King Roger in twelfth century Palermo. Barry Unsworth's novel Sacred Hunger tied with Michael Ondaaatje's The English Patient to win the Booker Prize in 1992 (one of only two ties in the Booker's history). This story of an eighteenth century slave ship is perhaps one of the best MINs (Moral Indignation Novels) ever written. TurboBookSnob Review
	The Night Watch by Sarah Waters	The Night Watch is Sarah Waters' first foray out of the Victorian era into another time period, and it showcases her prodigious talent. The novel begins in 1947, and moves backwards in time twice, following the interconnected lives of four people living in London during the Blitz and in the aftermath of WWII. Helen works at a matchmaking agency and lives in secret with her love, the novelist Julia. Viv works with Helen, and strives to maintain a façade of perfection to deflect unwarranted attention into her private life. Kay drives an ambulance and in her off hours, searches the streets of London for potential love affairs. Duncan lives with a man he calls Uncle Horace, whom he shepherds once a week to a faith healer modeled after Mary Baker Eddy. He, too, guards many secrets. TurboBookSnob Review