Who will win this year’s Booker? The runners and riders for the prestigious literary prize
- The six finalists include three debut authors, including George Saunders
- Fiona Mozley and Emily Fridlund are the other two debut novelists shortlisted
- They are up against writers Paul Auster, Ali Smith, and Mohsin Hamid
The winner of the most prestigious award in fiction publishing will be revealed on Tuesday when this year’s Man Booker prize is announced.
The six finalists, three men and three women, couldn’t be more different: three debut novelists are up against veterans such as Paul Auster with his 20th book, while Mohsin Hamid and Ali Smith have been shortlisted before — in fact, Autumn represents Smith’s fourth appearance on the list. The judges, chaired by Baroness Young, have whittled down 144 submissions to this final half-dozen.
Hours of debate will end in a £50,000 cheque and a guaranteed sales boost for one worthy (and very grateful) author. Plus, no doubt, masses of controversy as armchair critics disagree . . .
To help you make an informed guess, our reviewer Eithne Farry brings you the plots, authors and bookies’ odds of their winning.
To find out the winner, tune in to the BBC News channel from 9.30pm on Tuesday.
LINCOLN IN THE BARDO By George Saunders (Bloomsbury £18.99)
LINCOLN IN THE BARDO
By George Saunders (Bloomsbury £18.99)
PLOT: Abraham Lincoln, reeling from the death of his young son, visits his crypt and communes with the deceased, as the U.S. Civil War looms beyond the tomb walls.
THE CRITICS SAID: ‘A supernatural ensemble extravaganza of awesome intricacy.’ The Telegraph
‘Structurally inventive, impregnated with bitter grief, the surreal and the macbre and yet imparting a joyous relish for life.’ Daily Mail
DID YOU KNOW? In his youth, Saunders obtained data in order to prospect for oil. ‘I’d drill a hole, blow off the dynamite and record the sound, yielding a 3D picture of the stratigraphy below.’
ODDS: 5/4
AUTUMN By Ali Smith (Penguin £8.99)
AUTUMN
By Ali Smith (Penguin £8.99)
PLOT: Written post-Brexit vote and tackling themes of identity, culture and belonging, this traces the friendship of 101-year-old Daniel and Elisabeth, 32, as they contemplate Post Offices, passports and pop artists.
THE CRITICS SAID: ‘In not-quite-vintage Smith, there is a lot to lift the soul here. Her playful use of language is a life-giving force.' Daily Mail
‘This is a novel that works by accretion, appearing light and playful, surface-dwelling, while . . . enacting profound changes on the reader’s heart.’ Financial Times
DID YOU KNOW? Ali Smith teamed up with the Scottish band Trashcan Sinatras and wrote a love song called Half An Apple. The song was released in March 2007 on the album Ballads Of The Book.
ODDS: 7/2
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4321 By Paul Auster (Faber £9.99)
4321
By Paul Auster (Faber £9.99)
PLOT: A 1,070-page coming-of-age novel charting the four parallel lives of Archibald Isaac Ferguson, born in New Jersey in 1947, who is full of sexual longing and literary ambition.
THE CRITICS SAID: 'A masterpiece well worth the heavy investment of your time.’ Daily Mail
‘For all the urgency in its countdown title, 4321 sometimes resembles the work of a man who has been told he will be shot when he reaches the end of his book.’ The Telegraph
DID YOU KNOW? When Paul Auster was 14 years old, a boy just inches away from him at summer camp was struck by lightning and killed. ‘It’s something I’ve never got over.’
ODDS: 11/2
ELMET By Fiona Mozley (John Murray £10.99)
ELMET
By Fiona Mozley (John Murray £10.99)
PLOT: Daniel and Cathy are living in an off-grid, barely legal, built-from-scratch house with their father, a bare-knuckle fighter. Things take a turn for the violent when a local landowner turns up to evict them.
THE CRITICS SAID: ‘Pastoral idyll, political exposé, cosy family saga and horror tale, it reads like a traditional children’s story that turns into a gangster film.’ Sunday Times
‘Her Man Booker-prize listing is somewhat baffling.’ Daily Mail
DID YOU KNOW? Mozley is a big fan of TV series The Wire. She named her dog Stringer after Stringer Bell, one of the show’s charismatic kingpins. ‘Thankfully, the dog doesn’t take after his namesake — he’s a real softie,’ says Fiona.
ODDS: 11/2
EXIT WEST By Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton £14.99)
EXIT WEST
By Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton £14.99)
PLOT: In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people embark on a love affair. As the violence escalates, they find a mysterious door and step through, leaving behind their homeland.
THE CRITICS SAID: ‘Hamid’s central point, that love, art, memory and history make space/time travellers of us all, is beautifully made.’ Daily Mail
‘For all its many pleasures, Exit West lacks a secure sense of place — which may well be the author’s point.’ The Telegraph
DID YOU KNOW? Mohsin Hamid is the first Chief Storytelling Officer at creative consultancy Wolff Olins. ‘Storytelling isn’t only for novelists, but CEOs and leaders as well.’
ODDS: 8/1
HISTORY OF WOLVES By Emily Fridlund (W&N £12.99)
HISTORY OF WOLVES
By Emily Fridlund (W&N £12.99)
PLOT: Madeline recalls her socially awkward teens in rural Minnesota. Obsessed by pal Lily, who is tainted by a paedophile teacher, Madeline’s world is hit by the death of her babysitting charge.
THE CRITICS SAID: ‘Fridlund’s writing is vivid: her natural descriptions elicit a superb sense of place.’ Daily Mail
‘This is a top-notch thriller: suspicion drips like icicles in the thaw.’ The Times
DID YOU KNOW? Fridlund learned about her place on the Booker longlist when she was giving birth to her son. ‘My agent tried to get in touch with me while I was in labour, but by the time I replied, the list had been announced.’
ODDS: 10/1
