Nicola Barker's novel Darklands is set in the town of Ashford in Kent, where the town's citizens are beset by the apparition of John Scogin, Edward IV’s court jester. Over several days and 840 pages, Scogin prompts each of the main characters to his or her own special madness. One rolls in the muddy seashore; … Continue reading Booker Prize Roundup: Darkmans

Of all the books on this year's Booker shortlist, the least familiar to me is Indra Sinha's Animal's People. It turns out to be a novel drawn from the author's own experiences in the aftermath of the Bhopal Union Carbide gas tragedy of 1984 (for information, click here). Sindha founded the Bhopal Medical Appeal (bhopal.org) … Continue reading Booker Prize Roundup: Animal’s People

The shortlist for this year's Man Booker Prize has been announced. Among the final six are some you'd expect to see and a few I've never heard of. I'll do some digging in the next few days and try to get some details on the lesser known titles.Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)The Gathering by … Continue reading Man, Oh Man