The Orange Shortlist for un-crap books (according to Ms Wark)

The judges of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction announced their shortlist yesterday. In some respects "Hurrah!". I can focus my reading for the next couple of weeks on the 6 books that actually stand a chance.

But also "pardon?". At this stage in the game we're all playing catch up with the Judges in terms of reading, I for instance, am only up to my 5th book from the longlist of 20 titles, and without knowing the full context for the judges' decision it can make their choice of shortlist seem somewhat arbitrary. i.e. wrong.

All power to Kirsty Wark though, chairman of judges, who sums up the Orange Prize shortlisting process beautifully, "Once you've whittled the books down and got rid of the obvious crap it becomes a question of taste, and books affect people differently ... there are books on this list that some judges hated."

The lucky titles that have made it through are listed below (with my original rankings in parenthesis). Of these, I have only so far managed to review Rose Tremain's book, the Road Home. I thought it was good, but not exceptional, so I'm blimin' well hoping that "Lottery" will deliver the belly laughs that were promised in Ms Wark's recent interview with the Times. And of course, my friends at Ben Sheddling books (shameless plug) have expressed a keen interest in "Lullabies". Oh which one to read next?

Watch this space dear reader.

The shorty short list.
Heather O’Neill - Lullabies for Little Criminals (7)
Nancy Huston - Fault Lines (9)
Rose Tremain - The Road Home (11)
Patricia Wood - Lottery (12)
Charlotte Mendelson - When We Were Bad (13)
Sadie Jones - The Outcast (17)

My Orange Prize Review #3 The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam

“The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam” is Lauren Liebenberg’s first novel.

Nyree and Cia O’Callohan live at Modjadhi, a farm in the shadow of the Vumba mountains in the 1970s, the last days of Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe. The land around was cultivated by the “blood, sweat and tears” of their great grandfather, a heritage that their Grandfather, Oupa reminds them of daily in his sermons about the dereliction of duty and the importance of pride.

The war between Mugabe’s ZANU party and the Ndebele opposition goes on in the background, insignificant compared to the pressures of fitting in with the townies, and games of dare with Dell and the other members of the “Dogs of War”. Whilst their father is away fighting the “Terrs”, Nyree and Cia carry on an everyday life of play and chores with their Mother, Oupa and Jobe, an Ndebele who works in their house.

That is until “the bastard” cousin Ronin arrives like a cuckoo in the nest, damaged, parasitical and treacherous, to undermine the fragile harmony of life on the farm.

From reading the blurb of the book I thought I was going to be captivated by a magical blend of African pagan mysticism and Christian ritual. I didn’t get what I was expecting, but what I got was probably truer to Nyree and Cia. They are children and 4th generation Africans, so the culture and the turmoil of their country is like so much wallpaper. This is a tale set in Africa, not a tale of Africa. The real story is what happens within the small world of the O’Callohan farm.

Liebenberg writes in an easy and evocative style, and the story develops quickly in the second half, making “The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam” a satisfying read.

I have to confess though that I feel mislead by the title and blurb of the novel. Although this story engaged me and moved me, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. With powerful benchmarks like Nadine Gordimer’s “The Conservationist”, Adichie’s “Purple Hibiscus” and Lewis Desoto’s “A Blade of Grass” perhaps it was too much too ask. So I’m moving it from 2nd in my Orange Prize Chart to 4th.

This is Lauren Liebenberg’s first novel, and is available in the UK direct from the publisher Virago.

Updated predictions for the Orange Prize in order of which books I think I'm going to like best

1. Elif Shafak - The Bastard of Istanbul

2. Dalia Sofer - The Septembers of Shiraz

3. Anne Enright - The Gathering

4. Lauren Liebenberg - The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam

5. Gail Jones - Sorry

6. Linda Grant - The Clothes on Their Backs

7. Heather O'Neill - Lullabies for Little Criminals

8. Anita Amirrezvani - The Blood of Flowers

9. Nancy Huston - Fault Lines

10. Deborah Moggach - In The Dark

11. Rose Tremain - The Road Home

12. Patricia Wood - Lottery

13. Charlotte Mendelson - When We Were Bad

14. Carol Topolski - Monster Love

15. Anita Nair - Mistress

16. Stella Duffy - The Room of Lost Things

17. Sadie Jones - The Outcast

18. Jennifer Egan - The Keep

19. Scarlett Thomas - The End of Mr. Y

20. Tessa Hadley - The Master Bedroom

My Orange Prize Review #2 - The Gathering

Anne Enright's "The Gathering", winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007, is the story of Veronica’s unravelling and putting back together again, following the death of her brother Liam.

Set in Ireland, this is a story about blame and accountability. Veronica believes she knows what killed Liam, something that happened long ago when they were left behind in the care of their grandparents, by their recklessly procreating parents.

Veronica operates in a mode of constant self-examination and interrogation, trying to establish culpability for Liam’s death and her distress. The narrative is entirely from her perspective, but we never really know if she is a reliable witness. She trips in and out of fact and fancy, generating versions of truth before settling on the story that she is prepared to share with her surviving brothers and sisters.

It is a disarmingly honest account of a woman trying to know her own mind, and as such, I found Veronica easy to relate to. Although the story is supposed to be an explanation of Liam’s demise, I always felt that there was so much Veronica I never really got to know Liam or feel any sadness for his death. In that respect I feel slightly cheated.

The writing style is vivid and evocative without being overly flowery, and the way that Anne Enright incorporates dialogue tickles me in its sassiness.

Is this book likely to be my favourite from the shortlist? Probably not. But I was transported by it, which is what I look for in a good story. I’m going to move it up to 4th on my list on this basis, and I think it will definitely make the cut for the shortlist.

The Gathering is available in paperback in all good bookshops, including Amazon.

Other novels by Anne Enright include:
The Wig My Father Wore (1995)
What Are You Like? (2000)
The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch (2002)

Updated predictions for the Orange Prize in order of which books I think I'm going to like best

1. Elif Shafak - The Bastard of Istanbul

2. Lauren Liebenberg - The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam

3. Dalia Sofer - The Septembers of Shiraz

4. Anne Enright - The Gathering

5. Gail Jones - Sorry

6. Linda Grant - The Clothes on Their Backs

7. Heather O'Neill - Lullabies for Little Criminals

8. Anita Amirrezvani - The Blood of Flowers

9. Nancy Huston - Fault Lines

10. Deborah Moggach - In The Dark

11. Rose Tremain - The Road Home

12. Patricia Wood - Lottery

13. Charlotte Mendelson - When We Were Bad

14. Carol Topolski - Monster Love

15. Anita Nair - Mistress

16. Stella Duffy - The Room of Lost Things

17. Sadie Jones - The Outcast

18. Jennifer Egan - The Keep

19. Scarlett Thomas - The End of Mr. Y

20. Tessa Hadley - The Master Bedroom

The world is full of bibliophiles..

I've just started contributing to a new blog called The Orange Prize Project. Apparently there are other people out there who also get kicks from reading the Orange Prize nominees each year.

I just posted my first review there this morning. Last years' winner Chimamande Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun. A cracking read. Check out my review to find out why.