By Navya
The 66-year old Japanese born British author, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, won his second Booker prize after over 3 decades. He made it in the list back in 1989. He was awarded with $69,000 for his eighth novel, Klara and The Sun, in which a solar-powered android speaks about love and humanity. Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel prize for his novel, The Remains of the Day, in 2017, which was eventually adopted into a film.
The Bookers prize included a long list of 13 books, in which Richard Powers name too shoned bright, who has been a Pulitzer Prize winner. However, this is only a long list of authors and their works. The shortlist will be made public in September and the winner will be announced in November. So, book lovers and fans are forced to wait for another couple of months to know the winner. Until then, let’s take a look at the long list:
1. A Passage North:
A Passage North authored by Anuk Arudpragasam focuses on how we take ‘present’ for granted. Right from our birth to till we lose us to the time. The most we enjoy the ‘present’ is during our childhood years before the weight of memory, expectations, and responsibilities overweigh our ability to perceive things as they are. As we grow, the ‘joy’ in the present begins to fade away. Only then could we realize how much time we have passed away and lost in juggling.
2. Second Place:
Canadian author Rachel Cusk’s Second Place is a psychological thriller that revolves around our female protagonist, her artist friend, and her refurbished house, which is the ‘Second Place’ itself. First of all, I like the title for how it is associated to almost all the characters and the situations too. Our protagonist marries Tony, her second husband. Although he is quiet, calm, uncriticizing, and unjudgmental, she yearns something more artistical and creative that she finds in her artistic friend, Jeffer.
As she invites Jeffer to live with them in their ‘second place,’ she realizes how her husband and Jeffers are both alike and contrasting personalities at the same time. However, she likes Jeffers for his artistic nature and has a rapport with all his works.
‘Second place’ is a beautiful prose that narrates the life of a woman, who isn’t living her life and her friend, who she crushes on but figuratively a ‘second place’ for her after her husband. The house they live in is being rebuilt too which hints that it’s a second place.
3. The sweetness of water:
The Sweetness of water nowhere seems like a debut novel. The richness of the characters, the pace of the narrative, and the depth of stories of each character is well penned by Nathan Harris. It is a historical fiction revolving around two brothers and their story after they are freed by the emancipation proclamation.
On their way back to home, they meet a couple grieving the loss of their son and help them in their farm work to return to their mother residing in North. But, little did the recently freed brothers know that their mother was sold away.
The serene countryside is blown by the unexpected murder and the ensuing repercussions on the community. Nathan’s debut novel has a tinge of both beauty and terror, compassion and callousness, and heartbreaking pasts but hopeful presents. The historical fiction is magnificent in the style of narration and engrossing for the richness and depth of characters and story ploy as well.
4. Klara and The Sun:
Klara, an artificial friend with exceptional observational abilities, peeks through her window as the life slowly paces wishing to be chosen by at least one customer. Klara is a book store keeper and an enthusiast, who muses about science and whether it can transcend death. While on the other hand, the book store owner desires to have his own biological children genetically modified to increase their potential.
Klara and The Sun, offers us a peek into the fast-pacing life through the eyes of our narrator, Klara, the artificial friend and our protagonist. Kazuo Ishiguro authored science fiction once again resurfaces the question: “What does it mean to love?”
The idea of perceiving the human life through the eyes of an optimistic and humane AI is unique and refreshing as it offers new perspectives and exposes us to different thinking patterns.
5. An Island:
An island is a gripping story of a man living in solitude in an uninhabited island until the sea gushes a young companion for him. Sameul is a lighthouse keeper in an isolated island. But, the new inhabitant has brought with him the lost memories of Sameul. As Sameul reminisces of his life back in his main land, a story of fear, rejection, friendship, and terror unfolds prompting the readers to ask “What is a land?” “Whom should it belong to?” and “How far a man can go to claim and retain what he believes is his?” Karen Jennings crammed the 180 pages with interesting narrative and a thought provoking ploy.
6. A town called solace:
The historical fiction authored by Mary Lawson narrates the stories of Clara and Liam and their fractured past. While Clara is a 7-year-old girl, Liam just moves in the neighborhood of Clara and instantly likes the little girl. As the story unfolds, the sad past of both Clara and Liam unveils. Liam inherits Clara’s neighboring house from Mrs Orchestra, who is in no way related to him. As she reveals the mystery, everything falls in place.
Mary Lawsons’ portrait of a small town is a beautiful exploration into the childhoods. As the layers of grief, despise, and sorrow are peeled, all that is left is the affection and warm love between families and the extended ones.
7. No one is talking about this:
It’s Patricia Lockwood and there must be something special about it. No one is talking about this is the story of girl, who rose to prominence with her social media posts and travels the world to meet her fans. The 210 page book is either brilliantly narrated or overhyped for nothing because it reflects the start contrasts of the real life happenings.
8. The Fortune Men:
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed is a tale of hope, survival, prejudices, and the fight for truth. The story revolves around Mohamed, who face allegations in a murder case that he isn’t involved in yet he has to fight the conspiracy, cruelty, and prejudice. Will the truth be enough to save him?
9. Bewilderment:
Bewilderment is a political fiction from the Pulitzer prize winning author, Richard Powers. Theo Byrne is faced with contrasting life decisions to make, while his troubled son was suggested psychoactive drugs when he is wanting to take him to faraway lands to explore the possibilities of biological lives. How does he face the reality, console his son, and convince him to flee, while his son is batting to save the land they are residing on.
10. China room:
The Booker Prize long listed China Room is about the story of fight to freedom of two characters. The Sanjeev Sahota authored tale is set in India and based on a Young Punjabi bride and her quest to discover her husband, given the three brothers got married in a single ceremony.
Under the patriarchal ceiling, will Mehar ever find her husband out? And how did the systems of power during the independence movement, the period in which the story is set in, impacted the individuals and their lives.
11. Great circle:
Great Circle is yet another historical fiction revolving around a fierce female aviator, who had been rescued from a sinking ocean liner in 1914. As her obsession with flight increases, Marian’s love affair with aviation begins and she drops out of her school to pursue her dream. Even as she fulfills her dreams, Marian is left with lessons that haunt her for the rest of her life.
The author of Great Circle, Maggie Shipstead displayed her artistic dexterity in portraying the tale of small girl dreaming big.
12. Light Perpetual:
Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford provides a glimpse into the lives of five children, who are they, and what have they lost. Light Perpetual is a profound work of art on alternative life stories as we get to experience the intimate daily dramas and their transformation in every aspect.
13. The Promise:
As the Swarts gather for their ma’s funeral, the younger generation of the family despise the family’s history for many things. The Damon Galgot authored The Promise revolves around the promise made by The Swarts to their house help, which eventually goes unfulfilled. The fictional story takes sharps turns as the tale fluids between characters and ‘The Promise’ dies in the pyre of the house maid.
These 13 books are long listed for Bookers Prize 2021 in fiction category. Although all of them are fictions, each of them have taken socially strong themes to reflect on the socially constructed concepts and theories. Which one do you think wins? Let us know in the comments below.