The details by Ia Genberg

My first International Booker is done! I’m honestly pleased that although I’m enjoying the buzz I haven’t bought all the longlisters. Coming to terms with the fact that my reading of library books and buying of other books rarely overlap, plus the fact that I don’t have anywhere near the same reading pace as others, has kept me from adding to a book collection that is too big already. I am however looking forward to deliveries of multiple longlisters through the library.

Synopsis

A woman lies bedridden from a high fever. Suddenly she is struck with an urge to revisit a novel from her past. Inside the book is an inscription: a get-well-soon message from Johanna, an ex-girlfriend who is now a famous television host. As she flips through the book, pages from the woman’s own past begin to come alive, scenes of events and people she cannot forget.

There are moments with Johanna, and Niki, the friend who disappeared years ago without a phone number or an address and with no online footprint. There is Alejandro, who appears like a storm in precisely the right moment. And Brigitte, whose elusive qualities mask a painful secret.

The details is a novel built around four portraits; the small details that, pieced together, comprise a life. Can a loved one really disappear? Who is the real subject of the portrait, the person being painted or the one holding the brush? Do we fully become ourselves through our connections to others? This exhilarating, provocative tale raises profound questions about the nature of relationships, and how we tell our stories. The result is an intimate and illuminating study of what it means to be human.

Thoughts

Enjoyed the writing style, loved the vibe, will not stick to my memory. The book is subtle in terms of its message, a reflection on life and relationships and this is just hard for me to engage with at the moment.

International Booker excerpts review

Having ranked the books based on their first lines I was curious to see if the impression remained the same after reading the excerpts on the prize website. The inspiration for this post comes from BookTuber Charlotte R Malloy.

Undiscovered – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This does not pull any punches in the opening paragraphs. It is honest and to the point about many of the things that are wrong in today’s society. I’m very intrigued!

Lost on me – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really liking the prospect of this! It has tone, good writing, relationship focus but within a family, mental health and politics. I want to read this!

Crooked plow – ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This feels very mysterious and ominous, I feel bad vibes oozing of the page. In comparison to the others I’ve sampled at the point I read it this appears more plot driven. Curious to see where this story goes.

The Details – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my current read and is a book that has a distinct tone as it reflects over life and the relationships that have come and gone. I think the excerpt hints at a book that is conversational and reflective.

Kairos – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I find this similar to The Details in how it appears to reflect on relationships in the past. It has a tone that is its own, but it has aspects to it that I think might annoy me as the chapters go on. Placing it lower than The Details.

Not a river – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I suspect this will discuss masculinity, fatherhood and parenthood. I’m also getting a vibe of nature as a stand-in for mothers or women. A definite improvement compared to the first sentence.

The House On Via Gemito – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I like the reflection on a difficult relationship with a parent and how that affects you. A critical look on masculinity and violence, but at the same time the writing feels heavy to me. Like it is taking turns I’m not expecting.

The silver bone – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Direct, intense, terrifying, and with a drive. The writing is simpler compared to many of the others, yet has a purpose. These first paragraphs hit me hard.

White nights – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I like the writing and want to learn more about the characters.

What I’d rather not think about – ⭐⭐⭐💫

Disturbing and ominous, but I don’t vibe with the writing really. Willing to give it a go though because of its theme.

Mater 2-10 – ⭐⭐⭐

I enjoy the writing and I think it might go somewhere interesting. But I also don’t feel like I have to see how it ends.

A dictator calls – ⭐⭐💫

I’m not drawn in by the writing and not sure I will care to continue. For sure not a purchase. What does intrigue me a little is the references to Tirana, Moscow and politics.

Simpatía – ⭐⭐

This did not work for me, I’m a little surprised. I think I’m not that keen on men dealing with hatred of women, it is important that it happens, but it is not written for me. I also think there is a disadvantage for me to not understand the references, not the book’s fault, and I would absolutely need to give it more time than just a few paragraphs. What did intrigue me is the references to people leaving or staying, the conflict that inevitably holds. I’m also a cat person.

First line review – International Booker longlist

Inspired by BookTube I’ve read the first sentence of each International Booker longlister and this is my ranking.

1. “When I opened the suitcase and took out the knife, wrapped in a grimy old rag tied with a knot and covered in dark stains, I was just over seven years old.” – Crooked plow by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz. Perfection!
2. “When my father told me he hit my mother only once in twenty-three years of marriage, I didn’t even bother replying.” – The house on via Gemito by Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky.  Tough topic, which I like, and there is something about the tone and the history behind it that makes me want to read more.
3. “When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished, they say.” – Lost on me by Veronica Raimo, translated by Leah Janeczko. Ominous in its own way.
4. “Will you come to my funeral?” – Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann. I have so many questions.
5. “Samson was deafened by the sound of the saber striking his father’s head.” – The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk. Upsetting and hard to read as someone who has immense grief around losing my father.
6. “On the day his wife left the country, Ulises Kan decided to get himself a dog.” – Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn. Why did the wife leave a guy that likes dogs?
7. “The strangest thing about being alone here in Paris, in an anthropology museum gallery more or less beneath the Eiffel Tower, is the thought that all these statuettes that look like me were wrenched from my country by a man whose last name I inherited.” – Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Julia Sanches. I did not see that last punch coming.
8. “A house like a chicken coop, so that if you leaned on it or kicked at it, all the planks would fall to the ground, and some would break in half, everything rotten.” – White nights by Urszula Honek, translated by Kate Webster. I’m very concerned for this house.
9. “Yi Jino set up his toilet on the opposite side of the catwalk, as far away from his tent as possible.” – Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae. I’m confused but intrigued.
10. “After a few days of the virus in my body I come down with a fever, which is followed by an urge to return to a particular novel.” – The details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson. Peculiar and quirky and my current read.
11. “Waterboarding, I told my mother.” – What I’d rather not think about by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey. Yeah, I didn’t not remember what waterboarding was when I first read this.
12. “Enero Rey, standing firm on the boat, stocky and beardless, swollen-bellied, legs astride, stares hard at the surface of the river and waits, revolver in hand.” – Not a river by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott. I’m worried we are in for some anti-fatness my friends.
13. “The stop is on the right-hand side of the street.” – A dictator calls by Ismail Kadare, translated by John Hodgson. … …. …. Ok.

Which one is your favourite and least favourite? What are you reading (International Booker or not)?

International Booker – First reaction based on recognition

I know these books!!!

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz
The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson
Not A River by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott
The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk

Maybe…?

A Dictator Calls by Ismai Kadare, translated by John Hodgson
The House On Via Gemito by Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky

New to me

Lost On Me by Veronica Raimo, translated by Leah Janeczko
Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell & Youngjae Josephine Bae
What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey
Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Julia Sanches
White Nights by Urszula Honek, translated by Kate Webster
Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernández González & Daniel Hahn

Note: my memory may be off as I deal with the unacceptable omission of Ædnan.
Honestly.
WHAT.

International Booker – publisher predictions #2

There might be 3 major publishers that take up most of the longlist spots, but the International Booker would be nothing without the never-heard-of-awesome-translated-fic that shows up on announcement day.

And other stories

The past 3 years, And other stories have had 1 book on the longlist each year. Eligible books:

• Veridgris by Michele Mari, translated from Italian by Brian Robert Moore.
• The hunger of women by Marosia Castaldi, translated from Italian by Jamie Richards.
• Star 111 by Lutz Seiler, translated from German by Tess Lewis.
• You, bleeding childhood by Michele Mari, translated from Italian by Brian Robert Moore.
• Shalash, the Iraqi by Salash, translated from Arabic by Luke Leafgren.

Out of these I would pick Shalash, the Iraqi as my longlister. Its origin as scattered blog posts, the importance of storytelling in times of war, would make it an important and unfortunately relevant longlister.

Charco press

Since 2018 Charco Press has had 1 book on the longlist every other year. If the pattern continues then there will be 1 Charco press on this year’s longlist.

• Fresh dirt from the grave by Giovanna Rivero, translated by Juana Adcock.
• A little luck by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle.
• Confession by Martín Kohan, translated by Daniel Hahn.
• The delivery by Margarita García Robayo, translated by Megan McDowell.
• Not a river by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott.
• The dark side of skin by Jeferson Tenório, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato.

I love the darker vibes of Fresh dirt from the grave so this would be my pick for the longlist.

Honford star

The past 2 years Honford star has had 1 book on the longlist.

• Your Utopia by Bora Chung, translated from Korean by Anton Hur.
• Cannibals by Shinya Tanaka, translated from Japanese by Kalau Almony.
• Finger bone by Hiroki Takahashi, translated from Japanese by Takami Nieda.
• Launch something by Bae Myung-hoon, translated from Korean by Stella Kim.

I loved Cursed Bunny and it is a big part in how I got attached to International Booker, in fact that entire year the longlist was fantastic. So of course I want to see Bora Chung make it onto the longlist!

Lolli editions

Lolli editions missed out on last year’s longlist but had 1 book in 2022 and 2021.

• Tityrus by Duncan Wiese, translated from Danish by Max Minden Ribeiro and Sam Riviere.
• Eunuch by Kristina Carlson, translated from Finnish by Mikko Alapuro.
• My work by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell.
• Sublunar by Harald Voetmann, translated from Danish by Johanne Sorgenfri Ottosen.

I’m going with the popular pick that everyone else is making – My work by Olga Ravn!

Picador Pan Macmillan

Has the same track record as Lolli editions. Their website is an equal to Penguin’s so I can’t be bothered to dig through for potentially eligible books.

Pushkin press

Looking at the past 4 years, the average for Pushkin press is 1 book per year. They had zero books in 2022 but made up for it with 2 books in 2021.

• Harlequin Butterfly by Toh EnJoe, translated by David Boyd.
• 19 claws and black bird by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.
• Glorious people by Sasha Salzmann, translated by Imogen Taylor.
• Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson, translated by Saskia Vogel.
• The wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli, translated by Willard Wood.

I probably will not surprise anyone by saying I want Ædnan and 19 claws and black bird to make it to the longlist. Leaving out Ædnan will be a devastating blow to my trust in International Booker. This is the one prediction I had to not think about as soon as I saw that it was eligible.

Tilted Axis press

Came out of nowhere with 3 longlisted books in 2022 and surprised many by having zero longlisters in 2023. Is it time for another appearance?

• The end of August by Yu Miri, translated from Japanese by Morgan Giles
• A book, untitled by Shushan Avagyan, translated from Armenian by Deanna Cachoian-Schanz
• DD’s umbrella by Hwang Jungeun, translated from Korean by E. Yaewon
• To hell with poets by Baqytgul Sarmekova, translated from Kazakh by Mirgul Kali

I have to go with one of the few eligible books I own – The end of August.

World editions

Increased their appearance by having 1 longlisted book in 2023 and 2021.

• Fowl eulogies by Lucie Rico, translated from French by Daria Chernysheva
• The drinker of horizons by Mia Couto, translated from Portugese by David Brookshaw
• Selamlik by Khaled Alesmael, translated from Arabic by Leri Price

I’m picking The drinker of horizons, even though it appears to be part of a series.

Disclaimer

Same as the last prediction post.

Do not trust me.

International Booker anticipation stack

A stack of mostly library books as I impatiently wait for International Booker longlist announcement on Monday.

🇧🇷 Of cattle and men by Ana Paula Maia, translated into English by Zoë Perry. Edit: this was eligible last year.

🇺🇸 Postcolonial love poem by International Booker judge Natalie Diaz

🇫🇷  🇸🇳 Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated into English by Jordan Stump

🇸🇪 🇮🇷 The singularity by Balsam Karam in the original Swedish

🇦🇷 19 claws and a black bird Agustina Bazterrica, translated into English by Sarah Moses

🇺🇸 When my brother was an Aztec by IB judge Natalie Diaz

🇸🇪 The details by Ia Genberg in its original Swedish

🇸🇪 Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg in its original Swedish

🇮🇸 The mark by Frída Ísberg, translated into Swedish by Arvid Nordh

🇳🇴 The wolves of eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated into Swedish by Staffan Söderblom

🇸🇪 Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson in the original Swedish

🇯🇵 The end of August by Yu Miri, translated into English by Morgan Giles

Have you read any of these? Which ones would you want to see on the longlist on Monday?

International Booker – publisher predictions #1

Many have joked about a certain blue-covered publisher making frequent appearances on the International Booker longlist, which inspired me to take a deeper look at publisher’s track records. Countrary to popular belief, there are actually 3 publishers likely to make an appearance on each year’s longlist.

Fitzcarraldo Editions

Their blue covers appear on the longlist on all years, except in 2016. You can basically count on there being 1 book from them, or more likely 2.

Eligible books for this year’s longlist are:

• Mild vertigo by Mieko Kanai, translated from Japanese by Polly Barton.
• The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild by Mathias Enard, translated from French by Frank Wynne. Mathias Enard was longlisted in 2017. The translator is more frequent on the International Booker scene with 3 past longlistings.
• A shining by Jon Fosse, translated from Norwegian by Damion Searls. At 56 or 48 pages depending on edition it might be too short to meet the criteria of “long-form fiction”. But, I did my homework and A cup of rage by Raduan Nassar with its 64 pages was longlisted in 2016. Jon Fosse has been longlisted twice, both times with Damion Searls as translator, and won the Nobel prize in 2023.
• The singularity by Balsam Karam, translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel.
• The book of all lovers by Agustín Fernández Mallo, translated from Spanish by Thomas Bunstead.

From this list I would be happy to see Mild Vertigo, and The singularity, on the longlist. I would say The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild and The book of all lovers have that fuzzy type of synopsis that International Booker loves, but that makes my focus wander.

Hachette

Through its imprints MacLehose Press and Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Hachette is another publisher with a solid record that has an average of over 1 book per longlist. It started out strong with 2 books on the longlist the first couple of years but then fell into a slump, missing the longlist or getting 1 book in there. Hachette is however back in force after last year’s 3 books (Time shelter, Standing heavy, and Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv). Out of the two imprints MacLehose Press is the most frequent, with Weidenfeld & Nicolson making its first appearance last year.

Rudely I’m excluding all genre fiction which means crime fiction (Oliver Bottini, Åsa Larsson, and Karin Smirnoff), and fantasy (Jin Yong). Although these are some of my favourite genres so I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong. Eligible books:

• Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg, translated from Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner. Both author and translator have been longlisted together in the past for The faculty of dreams.
• Nothing belongs to you by Natacha Appanah, translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman.
• The movieteller by Hernan Rivera Letelier, translated from Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa. The fact that it isn’t on the list of eligible books on Goodreads makes me wonder if I’m missing something. Maybe it is considered too “commercial”? The translator has one previous longlisting.
• Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump. This would be the second longlisting for the pair, they were previously longlisted for Ladivine.
• Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal, translated from French by Jessica Moore. The duo has been longlisted once before for Mend the living in 2016.
• The silver bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated from Russian by Boris Dralyuk. Kurkov was longlisted last year for Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv.
• Your absence is darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated from Icelandic by Philip Roughton. The duo were longlisted in 2017 for Fish have no feet.
• Before the queen falls asleep by Huzama Habayeb, translated from Arabic by Kay Heikkinen.
• And the stones cry out by Clara Dupont-Monod, translated from French by Ben Faccini
• The physics of sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel. Last year’s winning author and translator with Time shelter.

Out of this very long list I would want to see Before the queen falls asleep, Vengeance is mine, and The stones cry out make it.

Penguin

The first couple of years this was the prize’s Fitzcarraldo, having a record of 5 longlisted books in 2017. Their track record includes 5 imprints.

Penguin definitely wins the prize this year for having websites so annoying I couldn’t find a single eligible book.

Disclaimer

This is based on my skills when using an online Excelish sheet and the limited information available about some imprints. If you use this post to make your predictions and they are off, causing you to lose standing in the bookish community, I can not be held responsible.

Literary Fifteen 2024

A reading challenge sampling 15 literary awards and hopefully finding some of your best reads in 2024.

The prizes will take you to several places around the world and offers translated fiction, poetry, non-fiction, short stories, fantasy, political novels, queer lit and much more. The prompts & literary prizes:

1. Aspen Words – longlist is already here!!!

2. Dublin Literary Award

3. OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature

4. International Booker

5. Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

6. Jhalak Prize

7. Lambda Literary Award

8. Ignyte Awards

9. AKO Caine Prize for African Writing

10. The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

11. Polari Book Prize

12. JCB Prize for Fiction

13. National Book Award for Translated Fiction

14. Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

15. Award of your choice

Rules:
Read (or DNF) at least one story nominated for a literary award.

If you want more, read for 2 or more prizes. Or read 1 or more for a prize.

It doesn’t matter how much you read – any level of participation counts. Read as much or little as you want to – read because you want to.
PS. This is also a reminder to myself to not try to do it all even when you shouldn’t.

Which prize are you most looking forward to in 2024? Which prize would you pick for no 15? Curious to know even if you do not join the challenge!

Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth

Translated into Swedish by Jens Hjälte

🇳🇴 Norway 

I’m having difficulty focusing on reading at the moment. Work is taking up too much space and I’m often exhausted when I’m not working. This whole concept of “work-life balance” is just infuriating at the moment. If I never saw another forced positivity self-help post again I would be happy.

Despite all of that I managed to finish Is mother dead at a decent pace for me. I actually ended up putting all of the other books on pause as this book caught my interest from the first page with only two sentences. Words that held so much nuance, shadows of a deep sea of emotions and family history.

“She would have contacted me if mother died. She is obligated to?”

This is my own translation of the Swedish quote, the English edition is worded in another way but I liked the use of obligation. A promised hint of the following 354 pages which are intense as we sit in the mind of Johanna, a Norwegian artist who has just returned home and is occupied by past memories and the lack of relationship with her mother and sister. The book is disorienting and all-consuming. Like stepping into a mind that, like many of us, is just a constant stream of thoughts going over and over itself. I thought a lot about translation while reading – how it can be an actual translation from one language to another, but that we also interpret and translate each interaction for ourself, only it is less obvious. What is truth really? It is fascinating, sometimes you can discern who is at fault, and other times things just are.

What does it mean to be a parent? When are you allowed to be a parent? How heavily does it impact you when you have had parents that speak their love to you clearly and with their entire being – and what does it mean when that is not the case? How do you know if you are loved? 

This is an intense, violent, obsessive reflection over motherhood.

International Booker shortlist reaction

I watched the shortlist announcement during my lunch break on YouTube (or BookTube it you partake in the bookish goodness) and there were some intense feelings in that live chat 😼 Really very exciting but I’m disappointed there was no cake 🎂 I think we deserved it! 

Anyways – I think I’m probably one of the happier readers after the announcement. I got 4 out of 6 predictions which I think is the best I have ever done. As @anniesmanybooks on Bookstagram said – I made a bold prediction, apparently the judges did too and now people are angry 😅 Plus I would like credit for getting the more unusual predictions right – I’m a very humble person.

I’m lucky enough to own all 6 shortlisters which makes me very excited about the photo and the shortlist reading ahead of us! I’ve read exactly zero of them. Now I want to hear all about your enthusiasm and rants. Which book was snubbed? Which book doesn’t belong? Do you already have a winner prediction? Tell me everything! Here are my thoughts to get you started.

Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov 🇧🇬 

Tr. Angela Rodel

One of my current reads and I’m on page 62. It is a type of book that pushes me away by seeming very smart and I wouldn’t be reading it if not for the prize. So far I think I could end up loving it or not really connecting to it. Readers whom I consider very clever seem to love it so in the end I think it will be a positive reading experience. The fantasy and time travel aspects fascinates me. I would appreciate it if it is a fantasy book in the same way as Piranesi is. Also my love for these themes in the book tells me I really need to get back to my comfort genre fantasy. 

Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan 🇰🇷 

Tr. Chi Young-Kim

Reading the first 10 pages I really liked the character of Chunhui and the potential opened up for the rest of the book. I think the attitude and the body of the character is something I will connect with deeply. I really enjoyed the writing and had to debate with myself about including it on the shortlist prediction – it was my runner up.

But – there was a lot of focus on the weight of the character and a set number used to convey contempt and it turned me off. Typically an author that opens like that can’t pull it off into a positive message and I believe I’m in for some anti-fat bullshit. There might be a powerful message behind the character’s development but bringing a fat positive light to it will most likely not be part of it.

Standing heavy by GauZ’ 🇨🇮

Tr. Frank Wynne

Wow! I’m so happy for the author. I really liked the sample I read and I thought it was starting several topics and viewpoints on racism, colonialism, sexism and more from page 1. Yet people have seemed to not count it as having a chance of the shortlist. Maybe it is a case of “deceptively simple” which I think Slimani mentioned in the announcement. I personally prefer the books that do not do the heavy lifting for you and explaining each nuance in detail – let my mind go off in all the directions because you add a word or a sentence that connects with a larger issue. Of course it means that I will miss some things but that is OK – I will learn and grow and catch more for each time I read a book. I’m very much looking forward to reading this one!

Boulder by Eva Baltasar 🇪🇸 

Tr. Julia Sanches

This has been a favourite of mine from the beginning. The sample gives me a feeling of a much more poetic and contemplative story than the rest. It feels like it will tell a story by bringing you into the mindset of the character Boulder – whereas Is mother dead told its story through obsessive intensity this feels more laid back, harder to catch. That part of the story will be told through what isn’t shared directly. I’m really excited for this one! Maybe I’ll read it in the weekend to get a jump start on the shortlist.

The gospel according to the new world by Maryse Condé 🇬🇵 

Tr. Richard Philcox

I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying Condé’s books for a couple of years thanks to @ifthisisparadise over on Bookstagram and #ReadCaribbean. I think having read several of Condé’s books will add layers to the book which first-time readers of Condé will not have. My impression so far of her books (including a non-fiction and a children’s book) is that they are all in communication with each other. Condé has strong opinions but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t interrogate nuance. This book has not been getting much love from the reading community and I think it is unfairly overlooked – Condé is regularly mentioned as a Nobel prize contender (they wouldn’t dare – imagine Condé speaking her mind to them – ha!) and was listed for International Booker in 2015 when the prize was for an entire body of work. I think Condé has a tone that is her own – I recognise the writing between the books and she definitely delves into unlikeable and nuanced characters. Nothing is ever easy or clear. The entire book is written through dictation and Condé is the oldest author ever nominated – so impressive!

Still born by Guadalupe Nettel 🇲🇽 

Tr. Rosalind Harvey

Well, we can call off our riot plans because our favourite made it! I think Still Born is the book I’ve seen on the most predictions so it is no surprise it made the shortlist. I felt the prize runners knew this which was why Still Born was presented last. For a few seconds I thought it would miss out! This book has been my favourite every since I made the longlist prediction and now I’m terrified of reading it. What if it doesn’t live up to the hype? But it really seems like my type of book so I’m scared but hopeful.

The books that didn’t make it

The Nordic books didn’t make it!!! I really thought one of them would make it! But maybe I’m biased and got too convinced by the positive reviews from around the world. It is OK – I’m happy to see more parts of the world represented and making it to the longlist is enough to get more well-deserved readers.

I’m missing some reader favourites on here that I was sure was going to make it: While we were dreaming and The birthday party. Especially the latter seems to be well-received so I’m surprised it wasn’t on the shortlist, even though it wasn’t on my prediction. I just assumed I would be more wrong.

I really thought Jimi Hendrix live n Lviv would make it because of the constellation of the judges where I think two are focused on Eastern Europe. But I was clearly wrong – maybe they had to pick between Time Shelter and Jimi Hendrix? Is that how they do things in the judging panel? I’m not sure – I’m guessing it is different each year depending on the dynamics. Maybe I should try and see if I can figure out a way that they have reasoned their way to the shortlist.

I’m not that surprised that Pyre and Ninth Building missed out – I haven’t seen strong feelings either way for them which I guess takes away the fun in shortlisting them. But I have a good impression of both from the sample reading and will definitely read them even if they didn’t make the shortlist.