I’ve done it. I’ve finally read all of the books from the Booker Short List. The Emperor’s Children was the last. It was also one that I thought I would like more than most of the others. Now that I’ve finished, I’m finding it difficult to decide just how I felt about it – other than pleased it did not win the Booker. I also find it troubling that this book was on the Booker Short List at all – what got it there? Simply the 9/11 storyline? It feels that way to me, and I don’t like it.
I liked the book, I enjoyed it very much. But it didn’t feel like a Booker nominee to me. It felt like any other nicely written novel I’ve read this year. The characters were incredibly typical, stereotypical even, and predictable. Not a single shocking characteristic, not a single surprise, no unexpected twists. These characters could be dropped into a zillion other books and fit right in.
None of this is bad – it wasn’t a bad book. It was a good book. I liked it. And, I’m glad it didn’t win the Booker. You should read it though, you’ll like it too.
Ok. So…based on what I know of the book from various sources I don’t feel a burning desire to read it because I already get the impression that I’ve seen these characters before. Am I right?
They’re just regular old characters, found anywhere – yes. Nothing new or unusual about them. And if you’ve got 100 books waiting, then no I don’t think you really want or need to read this. Unless you’ve got some dying reason to read a 9/11 book, that probably should never have been a 9/11 book at all. If that’s what you want to read, then go for it – this would be your book. 😉