The 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist will be announced on Monday, October 1st at 11 am EST. The shortlisted titles will get a bump in attention. That's a publisher's chance to answer: what is it, who is it for, and why is this book worth reading.
As people share the #gillerprize news and book URLs on social media, the content pulled in includes the headline, image, and 1st 200 characters. What better chance to get on the radar of occasional book readers, or those who read as one form of entertainment and want to ensure it's a good book.
Let's play “who describes it best.” Here's the #gillerprize longlist:
Fantastical, magnetic, and harsh—these are the women in Paige Cooper’s debut short story collection Zolitude.
Frances Price — tart widow, possessive mother, and Upper East Side force of nature — is in dire straits, beset by scandal and impending bankruptcy.
Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric Dupont, translated by Peter McCambridge
A yarn to rival the best of them, a big fat whopper of a tall tale that bounces around from provincial Rivière-du-Loup in 1919 to Nagasaki, 1990s Berlin, Rome, and beyond.
Washington black by Esi Edugyan
A dazzling, original novel of slavery and freedom, from the author of the international bestseller Half-Blood Blues.
Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage
An explosive new novel from the award-winning, bestselling author of De Niro's Game and Cockroach, and only the second Canadian (after Alistair Macleod) to win the prestigious Dublin IMPAC Literary Award.
A daring, funny, and poignant novel about the desire and duty to procreate, by one of our most brilliant and original writers.
Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper
A haunting, lyrical tale about a fading town and a boy who would do anything to save his family.
An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
An unforgettable love story of two people who are at once mere weeks and many years apart, for readers of Station Eleven.
Something for Everyone by Lisa Moore
Internationally celebrated as one of literature’s most gifted stylists, Lisa Moore returns with her third story collection, a soaring chorus of voices, dreams, loves, and lives.
From the internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer who has dazzled and enthralled the world with music it had never heard before, a fierce, tender, heartbreaking story unlike anything you've ever read.
Vi by Kim Thuy, translated by Sheila Fischman
The perfect complement to the exquisitely wrought novels Ru and Mãn, Canada Reads winner Kim Thúy returns with Vi, exploring the lives, loves and struggles of Vietnamese refugees as they reinvent themselves in new lands.
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
A tour-de-force debut novel about a Two-Spirit Indigiqueer young man and proud NDN glitter princess who must reckon with his past when he returns home to his reserve.
How did they do?
- Most descriptions identify what is it: novel or short story collection.
- Most descriptions offer a so-what in the form of author praise.
- A few of the descriptions identify who it's for, either overtly “for readers of …” or it's implied based on the brief plot synopsis, “people interested in…” or “fans of “.
I know a little about each title, some more than others. And I've had a quick look at the online mentions in the first few days after the longlist announcement.
Here's my prediction based on the first sentence of the book description and my limited insight into the online buzz.
1. Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric Dupont, translated by Peter McCambridge. A yarn to rival the best of them, a big fat whopper of a tall tale that bounces around from provincial Rivière-du-Loup in 1919 to Nagasaki, 1990s Berlin, Rome, and beyond. This is my wild card pick.
2. Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage. An explosive new novel from the award-winning, bestselling author of De Niro's Game and Cockroach, and only the second Canadian (after Alistair Macleod) to win the prestigious Dublin IMPAC Literary Award. My guess is that the panel likes an edgy read.
3. Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper. A haunting, lyrical tale about a fading town and a boy who would do anything to save his family. Struck me that there was some online excitement here. There's interesting online play for Paige Cooper (Zolitude) as well. A Hooper vs Cooper coin toss.
4. Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq. From the internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer who has dazzled and enthralled the world with music it had never heard before, a fierce, tender, heartbreaking story unlike anything you've ever read. A fiercely burning star.
5. Vi by Kim Thuy, translated by Sheila Fischman. The perfect complement to the exquisitely wrought novels Ru and Mãn, Canada Reads winner Kim Thúy returns with Vi, exploring the lives, loves and struggles of Vietnamese refugees as they reinvent themselves in new lands. Total guess. There are so many established female writers on the list.
Best wishes to all the writers! What a tough choice for the jury.
