The 2016 Man Booker Prize had its list trimmed down to six this week. The shortlist annoucnement has of course had a big impact on the betting market for the award and it is Madeleine Thien’s “Do Not Say We Have Nothing” which is sitting at the head of the market at a price of 2/1. It has been highly acclaimed since its release and it is a story about a Canadian mother and daughter taking in a Chinese woman who has escaped the communist state.
This happens after the Tiananmen Square protests, so with the strong history nod here as the Chinese women takes her tales, it nuzzles nicely into the bosom of the genre of recent Man Booker Prize winners. The last four winners of the Man Booker Prize have been historical novels so the 2016 favourite is looking in great shape.
Look at what has won recently. In 2012 Hilary Mantel landed the prize with “Bring Up The Bodies” (the follow on from “Wolf Hall” in 2009 which won), 2013 saw Eleanor Catton’s “The Luminaries” take the win, followed by Richard Flanagan’s “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” and then Marlon James scooped the prize last year with “A Brief History of Seven Killings”. So with those all falling into the historical category, Madeleine Thien looks in great shape for the prize this year.
It has taken over favouritism from “Hot Milk” by Deborah Levy, who was shortlisted back in 2012 for “Swimming Home”. So she is still in the mix because clearly she is doing something write to get noticed again.
2016 Man Booker Prize Odds
Madeleine Thien – “Do Not Say We Have Nothing” 2/1
Deborah Levy – “Hot Milk” 3/1
Graeme Macrae Burnet – “His Bloody Project” 4/1
Paul beatty – “The Sellout” 6/1
David Szalay – “All That Man Is” 6/1
Ottessa Moshfegh – “Eileen” 8/1
