The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Back Booker 2001
Being unable to contain ourselves until the 2008 Bookerthon we decided to undertake what we named a “Back-Booker”. Yes we looked back into past years, saw we had read several of the shortlisters since the turn of the Century and thought hey lets provide the same reading hours, and the same intensity in evaluation on to those past shortlists and see how our thoughts evolve. There were already a couple of winner announcements we were surprised at, but how could we criticise when we had not read the competing finalists.
And so, we began with 2001. Perhaps only for the opportunity to read Atonement again and provide it the atonement we felt it needed, to be announced as the winner by someone, if not those qualified to do so! Also, there were another five thought-provoking books that had been stated as worthy advocates so who knew what joy was awaiting us.
For this Back Booker we headed to the Marlborough Sounds, ate a lot of figs from the laden tree and stared at pages instead of the view. While we felt happy and homely, we did notice in the books an extreme sense of displacement. Characters out of the depth in location, time or health. Transitory characters who needed resolution for their tribulations of the past. Such conflict is always a crowd pleaser, with the hope all will be resolved by the final pages. 2001 contained a nice combination of books, selections that complimented each other.
In Hotel World, five lost characters live in a dreamlike narrative, set in a luxurious hotel where their anonymity is a key part of their existence. The stream-of-consciousness style made for a rambling plot but which took on serious themes such as love, death and capitalism.
Robbie, a lost solider on Dunkirk awaiting rescue in Atonement, is one of the few characters displaced in this book by the wild imaginings of 12-year-old Lola years earlier. Her testimony to an assault ruins the lives of many and her attempt to atone for years to come combines with an art for storytelling.
The Dark Room is another war story, capturing the reality for German victims of war who must live with the actions of their country. In particular the story follows a group of siblings whose parents are captured as sympathisers and who must find a way to escape the country without food, identification or adults to care for them.
Oxygen has a lead character called Alec, who is a struggling with life in general but must return to his childhood home to care for his mother dying of cancer, but must also confront his feeling of inadequacy around his brother Larry who is an ex-tennis star turned soap-opera celebrity.
In True History of the Kelly Gang, Australian career criminal Ned Kelly gets a voice. Though a criminal, thief and murderer, he was also a hero to many Australians, defying the authority of the English. Here the labels are broken down and he is characterised and humanised.
Eiji Miyake, from Number 9 Dream is a 20-year-old Japanese student, newly arrived in Tokyo to search for his missing father, but his real quest turns out to be resolving a tragedy buried in the past. A multi-genre tale full of action, romance, and quests.
However, in the end, as predicted, we were unconvinced that any could beat Ian McEwan and we therefore declared he would have been our pick for winner had we conducted this Bookerthon in the correct year. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the workings of the judges’ minds! The other shortlisters were varied and interesting but Atonement did shine above the rest for its psychological nature, its deeply compelling characters and its highly detailed descriptions of several times and places so that we felt we could see this story long before it was a movie. Plus, there are few who can beat McEwan’s ability to turn a phrase.
All the others were great, though Rachel had a particular dislike for Number9Dream. “It was obviously highly influenced by Haruki Murakami and as a Murakami fan of the highest order, I couldn’t see where Murakami’s influence ended and Mitchell’s talent started.”
Best book 1-6: Suzy:
Atonement
Hotel World
True History of the Kelly Gang
Number9dream
The Dark Room
Oxygen
Best book 1-6: Rachel:
Atonement
The Dark Room
True History of the Kelly Gang
Hotel World
Oxygen
Number9dream
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