13 Books That Made To The Man Booker Prize Longlist – 2018

The Man Booker Prize longlist 2018 is announced. This year 13 books were chosen from the list of 171 submissions. In the 50 years’ history of The Man Booker Prize, this is the highest number of the titles put forward for the prize. The books were selected under the panel 5 judges. The chair of judges include Kwame Anthony Appiah (chair), Leo Robson, Leanne Shapton, Jacqueline Rose and Val McDermid.

Here is the list of 13 books from The Man Booker Prize longlist 2018.

‘Snap’ by Belinda Bauer

It’s a thriller mystery about a mother of three young children disappears leaving them alone in the car. After three years, as children struggle to live without their mother, the elder child discovers a distressing truth.

The judges called the book an “acute, stylish, intelligent novel about how we survive trauma”, that “undermines the tropes of its own genre and leaves us with something that lingers”.

‘Milkman’ by Anna Burns

Milkman by Anna Burns is a superb tale about gossips and the way they move in social circles. The story circles around the protagonist and how she tries to keep her encounter with the milkman a secret. However, rumours were spread and its consequences are surprising.

‘Sabrina’ by Nick Drnaso

It’s the first ever graphic novel to reach the longlist of The Man Booker Prize. A sequel to Nick Drnaso’s ‘Beverly’, Sabrina illustrates the contemporary world as one devoid of personal interaction, warmth, and responsibility. Drnaso concocts a society created by fake news.

‘Washington Black’ by Esi Edugyan

Set in the year 1830, the story is about a young slave and his special relationship with Christopher Wilde, his eccentric owner, the naturalist and explorer. One night, when a man is killed, 11-year-old Washington is left at the mercy of his master; and Christopher has to choose between his family and his slave. What follows is an extraordinary journey and a great adventure testing their emotional, physical and intellectual roles.

‘In Our Mad And Furious City’ by Guy Gunaratne

The story is set in the city of London. This book shows the many sides and layers one city can have and how we live our whole lives without knowing the other sides to out home. The story revolves around three friends – Selvon, Ardan, and Yusuf. There are riots around the town after the death of a soldier which affected the three friends. However, Yusuf has to deal with the radicalism growing in his mosque as well.

‘Everything Under’ by Daisy Johnson

Everything Under is Daisy Johnson’s debut novel. It renders modern-day England unfamiliar to readers by working on a story around a classical myth. Story revolves around Gretel who lived on a canal boat with her mother before mother disappeared. After growing up she became a lexicographer and enjoys her solitude. A phone call disrupts her and takes her back.

‘The Mars Room’ by Rachel Kushner

This book takes the readers to a women’s prison at the Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility. The book describes the story of a woman who has two consecutive life sentences under her name, with an additional six years. The book has been described by the judges as “terrifyingly authentic”.

‘The Water Cure’ by Sophie Mackintosh

The Water Cure is a haunting dystopian fiction, very close to reality, that echoes our worst fears. The story follows sisters Grace, Lia, and Sky, who are kept safe from the world for their own protection. They were taught every horrible thing that a woman should learn about love. These sisters do exactly opposite of what was asked them to do. The judges say that the book “unpicks patriarchy at its core”.

‘Warlight’ by Michael Ondaatje

Ondaatje won the Golden Man Booker for his book “The English Patient’ at the 50^th anniversary of the Man Booker Prize. Just two weeks later his latest book Warlight entered the longlist for the Man Booker Prize for 2018. Warlight takes the readers to London of 1945, where two children are left in the care of a person called The Moth. The Moth’s odd crew of friends are quite determined to take care of those children. The reason behind that bizarre things is uncovered years later.

‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers

Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Richard Powers wrote his twelfth novel ‘The Overstory’ which entered longlist of this years Man Booker Prize. It’s the story of a Vietnam war veteran, Douggie Pavlicek, who reinvent himself as a radical eco-activist. The book is filled with vivid descriptions of the beauty of the natural world and reminds us of the beauty we’re letting slip away.

‘The Long Take’ by Robin Robertson

The author tells the tale of a soldier with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with a mixture of verse and prose. The soldier can’t settle in his rural home after all he’s been through. He goes on a journey to find himself and heal.

‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney

It’s a simple yet beautifully written tale of two girls from the same town with different backgrounds. Though the book is about love, it’s quite political as well. The insights, observations and compelling writing make the book unforgettable.

‘From a Low and Quiet Sea’ by Donal Ryan

Three men with their incredible different stories are lost in their own way. One’s home is torn apart by war, another has a past he can’t seem to leave behind and third one has had his heart-broken by a girl. The are bought together in wonderful ways during their search for home. With well-paced and engrossing writing, author draws the reader in.

Shortlist for the Man Booker Prize – 2018 will be announced of 9^th September, 2018 and the winner for this year’s Man Booker prize will be announced on 16^th October, 2018.

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