Greetings from incredibly busy Libraryland. Population: me. Do you ever feel like everything that could possibly be happening is actually happening? Well, I do. I know that’s not strictly the case, but it certainly feels like it. Before this devolves into “Dear Diary” territory, let’s move on to the subject of this blog post, which is the Booker Prize. The longlist was announced in the summer, followed by the shortlist in September, and last Tuesday the grand champion of them all was crowned victorious. Before we get into that, however, let’s go through the shortlist. I will highlight some of the more intriguing finalists (according to moi). They are all available in our collection, apart from one. First, a little backstory. The Booker Prize is awarded to fictional works written in English and published in the United Kingdom and/or Ireland. Its origins are tied to the Booker family, who have a long history of involvement in plantations and enslavement in Guyana. The Booker Prize website says that the current prize and its associated monetary award have no “financial” associations with the “Booker Group.” There is now a foundation that manages the contest, with the prize money sourced from a charity foundation called Crankstart, of all things. Despite the history of the award’s longtime sponsors, The Booker Prize has remained a fixture on the global literary scene, although particularly in the UK. Speculation about who will be on the longlist, who will be shortlisted, and who will take home the great and final trophy (I don’t know if there’s actually a trophy, I mean more in a figurative sense) occupies a big part of the media about literature there. One of my favourite YouTubers, Jen Campbell, usually posts a vlog (video blog) of her experience reading the longlist each year. An author herself, she crafts long, calming sojourns into her reading life in video format. Here’s this year’s video. I encourage you all to check her out, especially if you like watching vlogs. I myself am a big fan of the format and catching glimpses into other people’s lives. The authenticity of vloggers, as they’re called, is an illusion, that much one must know is true. However, there are degrees to artifice. The creators with the smallest degrees of noticeable artifice are the ones I certainly gravitate toward. Jen Campbell’s artifice in these vlogs must be negligible. It just has to be. But, without further adieu. The shortlist for 2024. For those curious about the longlist, you can find it here.

Orbital

The International Space Station occupies a place in our zeitgeist. Lately, it seems to be looming large with the recent action film I.S.S. and now Orbital, a short novel from British writer Samantha Harvey. Following one of the last crews aboard the station before the program ends, the book’s subject is an interesting one for this moment in time. The word “elegy” is used in the publisher’s description for the book. An elegy for Earth and everything on it, as the six people on board find themselves enraptured by our planet, literally and metaphorically in orbit around it. If there is message to be heard here, it does seem to be a warning about climate change. As artists continue to sound the alarm along with the scientific community, the question remains whether any work of art — literature or otherwise — can spur change and spark a greater movement. This one caught my eye. Definitely.

James

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been given the now common literary treatment of perspective reversal. In the original by Mark Twain, it is Huckleberry “Huck” Finn whose voice the reader hears as the narrative goes along. In Percival Everett’s James, it is the slave Jim we hear from. There have been several stories like this one in the past. From Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked (1995) to Circe (2018) by Madeline Miller, subverting the othering or villainization of characters to reveal hidden depths and complexity. In order to tell a certain narrative, there must be a villain, or a character reduced to two dimensions. These books question that practice, humanizing The Wicked Witch of the West and Circe from the ancient epic, The Odyssey. Apparently, it’s part of the package to title these works with the name of the character. We all know just how popular the story became after being adapted into the hit musical. Now, there’s a movie version as well, starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jeff Goldblum. While creating a list of recommended reads for Hindu Heritage Month, I discovered Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. Again, titled after the character it endeavours to humanize, this time it’s Kaikeyi from the Hindu Ramayana epic.

Stone Yard Devotional

The shortlisted Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is not available in our catalogue. However, we do have her earlier novel, The Weekend. Sounding very much up my alley, it follows three women who have been friends for forty years. Now in their seventies, they congregate in the now empty house their late friend Sylvie once owned in Australia. The novel sounds witty and erudite, with an emotional backbone that should keep you tethered to the plot. Jude, Wendy, Adele, and a dog called Finn seem like an intriguing cast of characters. One engaged in an affair with a married man for many years. One a has-been actor, and one grieving the loss of her husband. These are all women who have experienced much of what life has to offer: the good and the bad. Sometimes the best stories are written by and about people who have truly lived.

And the winner was…Orbital by Samantha Harvey, which makes it an even more tantalizing prospect. The shortlist also included World War One historical fiction Held by Canadian author Anne Michaels, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, and Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. The last rounds out the list with a spy novel unlike any other. Fired FBI agent Sadie Smith ingratiates herself with a French, radical environmentalist group at the behest of her shadowy employer. If you’re a fan of worldly protagonists with a tinge of darkness, cult undertones, and exploring warped philosophical teachings, it might be the book for you. In any case, I hope you check out one of these offerings. Long and shortlists for prizes can be a good source of reading recommendations. The books that make it on these lists are not always chosen based solely on merit, but there is most likely something that catches your fancy. Often, you learn about authors and titles you might not otherwise. I think I will be giving Orbital a gander one of these days myself, so until next month, take care of yourself everyone!