Welcome to Litsy!

"This year's Elmet"??

I've now read 5/13 of the #manbooker18 longlist so have decided to rank them. So far.....

There is a big gap between the top three and the bottom two but all are worth a read!!

1. Everything Under
2. The Mars Room
3. The Water Cure
4. Snap
5. Washington Black

I still have very contradictory feelings about #ManBooker2018 longlist ... and after reading all of them - here it is my personal shortlist. Thematically and stylistic very different stories, but with the common point in/about our messed up world.

#MBP2018

The ‘unusual‘ love story told through the eyes of two deeply sensitive and wounded adolescents and their toxic relationship, perfectly expresses the agony of growing up. Author also managed to create a very tangible, dark atmosphere with some very shocking and painful moments ... My only complaint is the repetitive dynamics of their off-on relationship, which at a certain point becomes too dramatic, a little unconvincing and tiring. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three unrelated short stories about three men who in their own way are fighting with losses, sorrow and regret. All three of them are distinguished by excellent prose, the first, Farouk‘s story is outstanding excellent. Just because of this story, the book is worth reading. And how do we get a novel from three short stories? By adding a fourth ... in which characters are loosely connected... Enough for a novel? Apparently yes... ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mother with 3 daughters is living alone on the island, and with the intrusion of the outside toxic world - story becomes complicated. Through the narrative of the sisters, we recognize the role of a disappeared father, mother, and the meaning of rituals practiced by that family. An excellent, very tangible dark, threatening, atmosphere, while the story itself makes no sense to me. Excellent prose and atmosphere, but unconvincing story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ondaatje's Warlight is everywhere these days! #hype #manbooker2018 #mbp2018 #finestfiction #indiebuddyreads

This book will win this year's Booker prize - cutting-edge fiction, fresh, poetic and current. Gunaratne talks about the sources of and connections between hate and fear, and while the story is set in modern-day London, its wisdom expands way beyond the city limits . #manbooker2018 #mbp2018 #finestfiction #indiebuddyreads

Painfully beautiful and deeply satisfying story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#ManBooker2018 #MBP2018

Through the relationship between mother-daughter, author develops a few themes, namely in such a way that she placed in the core of the story a classic myth. Very atmospheric story, set by/on the river, is also mystical and have a complex structure (and these are also the strongest points of this book), an interesting set of characters (but ' inconsistent ' characterization), and all wrapped together in quite nice prose. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a beautiful, atmospheric book! A soldier returns from WWII and tries to build a life for himself in LA. Although he finds new meaning in his work as a reporter, often covering social justice issues, his trauma and his disappointment with American society threaten to destroy him. The writing is highly poetic and pays tribute to film noir and jazz. #manbooker2018 #mbp2018 #indiebuddyreads #finestfiction