Frances, Teresa, Rebecca, Nicole and I comprised the Shadow Jury for the (Wo)Man Booker Prize. They did a more thorough job than I of reading the long list before the short list is officially announced on Tuesday, September 15. Both Frances and Teresa read all 13 of the books. I know that Rebecca read at least 11. It is only fair, therefore, that their thoughts for what should be included outweighed mine, which is why you won't see Hanya Yanighara on the Shadow Jury's list. What you will see is this:
Did You Ever Have A Family? by Bill Clegg
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Year of The Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
Sleeping on Jupiter by Anuradha Roy
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The only ones included on my own list are Did You Ever Have A Family? and Sleeping on Jupiter. My favorite, A Little Life, is not included. That surprises me, but the majority of the Shadow Jury did not like the book or think it merited a place on the Booker short list. Instead, they seemed to favor A Brief History of Seven Killings the most. Indeed, as I read more and more of it now, I can see what a fine work it is.
But, how fun it will be to see the official short list on Tuesday. To compare my thoughts, and my fellow Shadow Jury's thoughts, with the judges' decision.
