THE BOOKER SHORTLIST – WHO WLL BE ON IT?

This week, judges for The Man Booker Prize 2017 must whittle down the 13 books on the longlist to a six-strong shortlist. It’s a tricky job given it contains huge literary names such as Kamila Shamsie, Zadie Smith, Paul Auster, Arundhati Roy, Ali Smith an

Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor

A cyclical, rhythmic meditation on the passing of time in one English village, which begins with the disappearance of a girl on a moor and layers into something quietly magnificent.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Regarded as one of the most talented writers of his generation, this is Saunders’ first novel – and it’s a brilliantly inventive exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s grief at the loss of his son.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

If there’s a novel that should be recognised for taking on contemporary concerns, it’s Shamsie’s. See interview.

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

It certainly feels like Zadie Smith’s time; somehow she’s never been shortlisted and this is probably her best novel yet: chronicling two childhood friends from London whose lives go in wildly different directions.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

It might not be quite as good as her Booker Prize-winning God of Small Things but this sprawling, colourful and vivacious novel of life in India is still a wonderful achievement.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

This remarkable tale of race and slavery in America manages to be a fantasy, a thriller and historical fiction. The big page-turner in this selection.