 "Books")
Chetna Maroo's debut novel, Western Lane, has secured a place on the shortlist for the 2023 Booker Prize. Maroo, an author of Indian origin, was born in Kenya and currently resides in London, UK. Her novel delves into the British Gujarati community and focuses on an 11-year-old girl named Gopi, exploring her relationships with her family.
Published on February 7 earlier this year, the book has earned acclaim from Booker judges for its innovative use of squash as a metaphor to explore complex human emotions. While Maroo acknowledged that it would be "fair" to describe the novel as a sports story, it has been variously categorised as a coming-of-age story, a domestic novel, and a narrative addressing themes of grief and the immigrant experience.
"Recently, a friend posed a question about whether the book bears elements of a detective story. Gopi is essentially navigating her way through life, deciphering clues from subtle gestures, actions, and snippets of conversations she overhears. She grapples with the enigma of loss, a puzzle that offers her no definitive answers," Maroo explained.
The Booker Prize is a prestigious award recognising outstanding works of fiction published in the UK in English. Last year's accolade was awarded to "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" by Shehan Karunatilaka, a Sri Lankan author with an extensive portfolio of novels, children's literature, and short stories.
Esi Edugyan, the Canadian novelist who serves as the chair of the 2023 Booker Prize judging panel, announced this year's shortlist on Thursday. In her remarks, she commended Maroo's work, describing it as "stunning" and "memorable."
During the longlist announcement in August, Edugyan emphasised that the submissions were "characterised by their originality, by the irreverence of emerging voices, and by the iconoclasm of established authors."
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Other titles that have made it onto this year's shortlist include:
- Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
- If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
- The Other Eden by Paul Harding
- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
- The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The Booker Prize carries with it a prize of GBP 50,000 and an award trophy named Iris, in homage to Iris Murdoch, the Irish-British author who won the prize in 1978. The winner will be revealed on November 26 in an award ceremony held in London.
The shortlisted books confront many of 2023's most urgent issues, ranging from climate change and immigration to financial difficulties, the marginalisation of minority groups, political extremism, and the decline of personal liberties.
From an original list of 13 longlisted novels, commonly referred to as the "Booker Dozen," the judges selected the final six. These titles were chosen from a total of 163 books published between October 2022 and September 2023. Publishers nominate the books for consideration. All shortlisted authors are awarded GBP 2,500 and a specially bound edition of their respective works.
(With agency inputs)
(With agency inputs)
