1 week Ago By Angela Waterfield
The 2024 Booker Prize shortlist features a diverse array of themes and storytelling styles, with women making history as the dominant force on the list. Of the six shortlisted novels, five are by marking the highest number of women ever shortlisted in the prize’s 55-year history. This year’s selected books tackle major contemporary issues such as race, identity, climate change, memory, and space exploration.
offers a fresh take on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, focusing on the story of Jim, the runaway slave. Everett, previously shortlisted for the Booker, reimagines Mark Twain’s classic tale by centring the narrative on a key yet often overlooked character. Harvey’s novel is praised for its poetic approach, which delivers a unique story setting and vantage point.
The astronauts are set aboard the International Space Station and reflect on life, relationships, and their place in the universe. This story follows an undercover agent tasked with infiltrating an anarchist eco-activist commune in France—the novel delves into the chaotic dynamics of the climate crisis while exploring personal and political entanglements. Spanning four generations, examining the lingering impact of war, trauma, and memory on families.
This family saga intertwines past and present as its characters grapple with love, loss, and history. This debut novel presents a post-Nazi-era queer love story set in a remote Dutch house. It explores desire, infatuation, and hidden truths in the context of more significant historical events.
This book tells the story of a woman retreating to a convent in Australia. Wood’s novel, partly inspired by her own life, reflects on female friendship, isolation, and the vastness of human existence. The winner of the will be announced on November 12, with the victorious author receiving £50,000.
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation.
She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca..
