2007 Man Booker Prize Shortlist

The official Man Booker Prize Shortlist for 2007 was announced at a press conference at the Man Group office on September 6th, 2007.

The chair of the judges, Howard Davies, remarked that:

"Selecting a shortlist this year from what was widely seen as an exciting longlist was a tough challenge. We hope the choices we have made after passionate and careful consideration, will attract wide interest."

Mr. Davies' comments to the press can be construed as a hint to the judges' mindset this year - they seem to be valuing novels that will sell well and appeal to a wide range of readers above anything else. The TurboBookSnob is aghast at the shortlist they released, but is not surprised; the Booker has been trending towards novels of widespread appeal since Lisa Jardine was the chair of judges in 2002.

While the more popular winners selected may garner more press for the author and the prize itself, and may result in higher net book sales, the outcome is a prize that is slowly shifting away from its throne as the most prestigious literary prize in the world.

Booker Prize winning novels should be an elite bunch - highly literary novels brimming with beautiful and suprising language, as well as complex and richly textured themes. They should be memorable, novels that stand the test of time, eventually meriting places on lists of the greatest novels of all time, demanding to be studied by high school and college students for may years to come. This has been, and should be, the enduring legacy of the Booker Prize.

Is Mister Pip really such a novel? Will students be analyzing The Reluctant Fundamentalist fifty years from now? Is On Chesil Beach the Ian McEwan novel that college professors will choose to place on their required reading lists, or will that honor be reserved for Atonement or Amsterdam?

The complete and utter travesty of this year's shortlist is the fact that one book on the longlist selected by the judges does meet the standards worthy of a true Booker Prize winner. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng is a brilliant novel, full of language that is beautiful and memorable. Set in Penang during World War II, it rivals Barry Unsworth's The Sacred Hunger as the best MIN (Moral Indignation Novel) in the history of the Booker Prize. It should have won the prize this year hands down.

The judges will likely choose Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones as this year's winner. It is an engaging novel, although it lacks the greatness that elevates The Gift of Rain. Set on an unnamed island in the early 1990s, it centers around a white gentleman named Popeye who, during the turbulent times of war, undertakes the task of teaching the black children of the island by reading Great Expectations with them. It is an "easy" read, however it can still be considered "literary" because of its references to Dickens and his novel. It seems like exactly the sort of book that the judges may believe would appeal to both book snobs and book groups. It should fly off the shelves of Waterstones and Barnes and Noble following its win - indeed, an article in the New Zealand Herald stated that

"Online retailer Amazon.co.uk reports that sales of Mister Pip have surged week-on-week since the Booker longlist was announced in August."

The question remains - is a popular, perfectly adequate book really a Booker Prize winning novel? Should quality be sacrificed to book sales in prizes?

Enough of the TurboBookSnob's soapbox. Congratulations to all of the authors on this year's shortlist! The books which made the cut are listed below.

The official Booker Prize Winner willl be announced on Thursday October 16th, 2007.

2007 Shortlist
	Title/Author	TurboBookSnob's Review
	Darkmans by Nicola Barker Publisher: Fourth Estate	Nicola Barker is recognized as one of today's most inventive and original writers, and Darkmans has been hailed as another work of great imagination. Although this book is the longest of the bunch this year, at over 800 pages, and is a hefty, time-consuming read that requires one's undivided attention, the TurboBookSnob believes the creativity contained within it is vast enough to merit Nicola Barker a spot on the 2007 shortlist. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
Nicola Barker is recognized as one of today's most inventive and original writers, and Darkmans has been hailed as another work of great imagination. "If History is just a sick joke which keeps on repeating itself, then who exactly might be telling it and why?..... Darkmans is a very modern book, set in Ashford (a ridiculously modern town), about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs, and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear." At over 800 pages, this novel will pose a challenge to readers attempting to read the entire longlist in a month, and it has been criticized for being too long and unfocused. It will be interesting to see if the judges think this is enough of a cohesive work to merit a place on the shortlist. Nicola Barker was longlisted in 2004 for Clear: A Transparent Novel.

	The Gathering by Anne Enright Publisher: Jonathan Cape	This tale of a clan of nine Irish siblings gathering for the wake of their brother Liam has been praised by just about every newspaper that exists. It has been hailed as a fresh twist on the traditional Irish novel. Although the story in Anne Enright's tale may not be original, Enright's language certainly is, and deserves the comparisons to the writing of Ali Smith and Patrick McCabe. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
This tale of a clan of nine Irish siblings gathering for the wake of their brother Liam has been praised by just about every newspaper that exists. It has been hailed as a fresh twist on the traditional Irish novel. This is the first time that Anne Enright has been nominated for the Booker Prize.

	The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Publisher: Hamish Hamilton	TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the story of Changez, a Pakistani immigrant living in New York City. He is thriving in his new life, until the events of September 11th, 2001 threaten the fragile framework on which he has built his new life. This is the first time that Mohsin Hamid has been nominated for the Booker Prize.

	Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones Publisher: John Murray	This novel seemed to capture the imagination of quite a few bloggers over the past month, who asserted that this should be considered for the winner of the Booker this year. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
"It is Bougainville in 1991 - a small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. Eighty-six days have passed since Matilda's last day of school as, quietly, war is encroaching from the other end of the island. When the villagers' safe, predictable lives come to a halt, Bougainville's children are surprised to find the island's only white man, a recluse, re-opening the school. Pop Eye, aka Mr Watts, explains he will introduce the children to Mr Dickens. Matilda and the others think a foreigner is coming to the island and prepare a list of much needed items. They are shocked to discover their acquaintance with Mr Dickens will be through Mr Watts' inspiring reading of "Great Expectations". But on an island at war, the power of fiction has dangerous consequences. Imagination and beliefs are challenged by guns..." This the first time that Lloyd Jones has been nominated for the Booker Prize.

	On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan Publisher: Jonathan Cape	The TurboBookSnob wasn't certain that the judges would include this novel. On the one hand, it is by one of the most esteemed writers today, one who is certainly destined for a Nobel Prize soon. It is also, however, more of a novella than a novel, and novellas are not eligible for the Booker Prize. The writing is crystalline and precise, and it is evident that McEwan is a master at his craft, however the ending is problematic and feels as if McEwan randomly decided one day to wrap the whole thing up with a neat little bow in a few pages. TurboBookSnob Review
This novel is set in 1962 on the Dorset Coast, following the marriage of Edward and Florence. As Edward and Florence deal with their apprehensions about their wedding night, the story flashes back in time to their initial meeting and courtship, and ultimately examines how a life can be irrevocably altered in an instant. Ian McEwan won the Booker Prize in 1998 for Amsterdam, and was shortlisted in 2001 for Atonement, in 1992 for Black Dogs, and in 1981 for The Comfort of Strangers. He was also longlisted in 2005 for his novel Saturday.

	Animal's People by Indra Sinha Publisher: Simon & Schuster	This story of an American chemical company's disastrous effect on a slum in Khaufpur is told through the eyes of the memorable character of Animal, who walks on all fours as a result of the "accident." Animal has his own special way of telling his story, and convinces a journalist researching the disaster to tell it verbatim through tapes that Animal records for him. The character of Animal is heartbreaking, infuriating, and ultimately unforgettable. TurboBookSnob Review Coming Soon!
"'I used to be human once. So I'm told. I don't remember it myself, but people who knew me when I was small say I walked on two feet just like a human being...' Ever since he can remember, Animal has gone on all fours, the catastrophic result of what happened on That Night when, thanks to an American chemical company, the Apocalypse visited his slum. Now not quite twenty, he leads a hand-to-mouth existence with his dog Jara and a crazy old nun called Ma Franci, and spends his nights fantasizing about Nisha, the daughter of a local musician, and wondering what it must be like to get laid. When a young American doctor, Elli Barber, comes to town to open a free clinic for the still suffering townsfolk - only to find herself struggling to convince them that she isn't there to do the dirty work of the 'Kampani' - Animal plunges into a web of intrigues, scams and plots with the unabashed aim of turning events to his own advantage..." This is the first time that Indra Sinha has been nominated for the Booker Prize.
The TurboBookSnob's 2007 Shortlist Predictions
Check out the TurboBookSnob's predictions for this year's shortlist. 2007 Shortlist Predictions