And just like that, another season of the Booker Prize comes to an end! It's been so enjoyable reading and discussing all the books listed for this year's prize. There were a few duds for me in the group but also many excellent novels that I'm not sure I'd have got around to reading otherwise. I'm very happy that the winner is “Flesh” by David Szalay!
This novel follows the life of Istvan from his teenage years in Hungary and a disastrous first affair to his later years. But rather than a complete account of his life this novel moves sequentially between islands of his experience. Usually there are years which pass between chapters but it gradually builds to form a portrait of what it means to him to be a man: to inhabit a man's body, to channel his masculine desires and to live with the expectations placed upon him as a son/husband/father/soldier/bouncer/businessman. The prose style is very stripped down in its dialogue and there are few descriptions of his emotions and yet it conveys something so essential about his nature and being. I think it's an incredible portrait of a certain form of masculinity. When I read Szalay's Booker shortlisted book “All That Man” Is I felt any one of its stories could have been a full novel and that's what we get with this book, a complete and brilliant picture of a man's life. I loved it!
It was wonderful attending the Booker ceremony in London. What a buzz to be surrounded by so many authors and people from the publishing world! I had a lot of fun meeting other instagrammers and friends. Benjamin Wood told me he was obviously disappointed about “Seascraper” not being shortlisted but it made attending the ceremony less stressful since there wasn't the pressure of possibly winning. It was great meeting Susan Choi since I also loved “Flashlight” and we have a mutual friend. It was also excellent to chat with Claire Adam about how moving and impactful my bookclub found reading her novel “Love Forms” together. I also got to meet David Ebershoff (author of “The Danish Girl” and other books) but also he is Joyce Carol Oates' editor. So we geeked out about JCO for quite a while. It was lovely catching up with Chetna Maroo, author of the excellent previous shortlistee “Western Lane”.
Of course, there was also the thrill of meeting Sarah Jessica Parker! I was so flattered she immediately recognised me and turned to her friend saying “This is the guy I was telling you about.” This is an actress I've watched all my life from 'Flight of the Navigator' as a child to my early years in London watching 'Sex and the City' with my flatmates to the annual Christmas tradition of watching 'The Family Stone' with friends. Knowing that she's watched and appreciated my videos is wild! She was so lovely and we had a great discussion about books during which she indicated that she's regretful the competition necessarily means there can only be one winner. When I talked about my passion for “Seascraper” she clutched her chest and agreed she loved it too. I was very happy to see “Flesh” win but the real pleasure of following the Booker is discovering all the books and comparing notes with other readers.
I've made a vlog about my experience of the evening (including the announcement and speeches from Samantha Harvey, Penelope Lively and winner David Szalay) which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ05mayaISU
Thanks for joining me in all the discussion and fun of this Booker Prize season! What do you think of the winner? Have you read it yet or are you keen to read it?
