Since the Booker Shortlist was announced yesterday and I didn’t have time to type these up before I accidentally spoilt myself and discovered the results, I’ve taken out the prediction sections of each review.
Oyinkan Braithwaite – My Sister, The Serial Killer
Start date: 22 August
End date: 26 August
Total reading time: 1 hour 36 minutes (in 2 days)
Initial impressions:
‘Lolololol!’
What I liked:
- The portrayal of gender roles, female agency and oppression, family
- Fast-paced!
- Pretty humorous
What I disliked:
- Too humorous – more seriousness would’ve given it a better balance so the humour could shine through even more
- Unsatisfying conclusion
- Not enough character depth
Overall:
A quick read that was enjoyable at the time, but won’t leave a lasting impact on me.
Personal rating: 2.5/5
Personal shortlist: Nope
Personal winner: Nope
Kevin Barry – Night Boat to Tangier
Start date: 28 August
End date: 30 August
Total reading time: 1 hour 33 minutes (in 2 days)
Overall:
I’m not bothering with much of a review on this one because it was my least favourite of the longlist so far. I didn’t like the voice, writing style, or the characters. There’s something to be said about the subject matters explored (masculine identities, ageing, coping with change), but other than that, it was all pretty meh to me.
Personal rating: 2/5
Personal shortlist: Nope
Personal winner: Nope
Jeanette Winterson – Frankissstein
Start date: 1 September
End date: 3 September
Total reading time: 3 hours 15 minutes (in 3 days)
What I liked:
- Frankenstein is one of my favourite novels, so I adored everything about this premise!
- All the amazing 21stC character! Ry is fantastic! <3
- The explorations of sexuality and identity
- The glorious intertextuality, especially re: Shakespeare
- Oh, the ideas and philosophies in this novel! <3
- The writing style in the 21stC sections
- The creation of the monster
What I disliked:
- Most of the 19thC parts. Was it really necessary? Could the writing have been less…21stC?
- I just couldn’t deal with Mary Shelley’s 1st-person POV
Overall:
This is definitely my second favourite of the longlist so far. I enjoyed all the big questions the book raised, and I’m definitely going to re-read this in the future, possibly along with a re-read of Frankenstein. The novel also achieves a nice balance of literary and accessible, which means I’ll incorporate it into my teaching curriculum – all the themes and values are so pertinent today!
My only qualm was with the bits set in the 19thC, but this is possibly due to my knowledge of the time period (my MA was in Romantic and Victorian Literature, and I have a keen interest in the long 18thC). I couldn’t turn off my scholarly brain every time Mary Shelley’s character narrated from her POV. Since I read a loooooot of fanfiction, I just wasn’t impressed with Winterson’s take on literary real-people fic. But don’t let that deter you, because this novel is pretty fantastic overall!
Personal rating: 4/5
Personal shortlist: Definitely
Personal winner: Possibly
