The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
2010 Bookerthon
We may not have been doing Bookerthon for long enough to comment as such, nor have the relevant degrees or analytical background to offer such thoughts, but … we weren’t blown away by the shortlist this year.
Not to say we didn’t enjoy (some of) them and even love one or two, but as a whole the shortlist didn’t provide us that overwhelming sense of exhilaration like in years past.
The Man Booker shortlist is meant to be made up of the best six books of the year but we’d be to differ this year. What’s more, they are vastly different. They are like six fighters vying for the win, with their gloves up in very different corners of the ring, rather than a collection of works that sit harmoniously side by and side and are indicative of the state of the world. Everyone would probably find one they were intrigued by, but we can’t imagine most bookies would read this list and be enthralled by them all.
Were the judges trying to be astute? Or transformational? Were they hoping their choices would come to be recognised as visionary in years to come? Sorry judges, we know you are highly qualified and we are not, but in our humble opinions we thought the list tries a little too hard.
For example the finalists ranged from a book so intellectual and literary (C) we failed to understand it, to a book so lacking in literary merit (Room) it felt like it was only shortlisted because its content was timely. How were these two books fairly judged by the same standards?
From the (admittedly only few) Bookerthons we have completed, this is our least favourite. Here’s our thoughts overall:
Rachel loved In A Strange Room for its readability, beautiful style, and sense of mystery and intrigue that encourages the reader to examine the book’s literary merit further. And she found The Long Song, the story of the girl enslaved on a Jamaican sugar plantation, to be heartfelt and well constructed.
“However, I could take or leave the rest. The Finkler Question and Parrot & Olivier are both good reads, but not stories I particularly connected with. C is very clever, but too clever for me. As for Room, I’m surprised it has even been shortlisted so that’s not a contender as far as I’m concerned.”
Suzy loved the journey and explorations detailed in Parrot & Olivier. A portrait of life as an American settler in the 1820s is full of drama and intrigue and she was enthralled throughout. She found The Long Song affecting and emotive and In A Strange Room clever and capable of winning. However she also struggled with C and The Finkler Question and concurred with Rachel that Room was a surprise addition to the shortlist, that, though topical, did not stand up against the literary merit of the other finalists.
Best book 1st-6th: Rachel:
In A Strange Room
The Long Song
The Finkler Question
Parrot & Olivier in America
C
Room
Best book 1st-6th: Suzy:
Parrot & Olivier in America
The Long Song
In A Strange Room
The Finkler Question
C
Room
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