In order to obtain prizeworthiness in literature, it is important to include specific criteria t in the literary work that will engage the audience and allow for the novel to remain in circulation. The most prominent factors I have identified are readability, nostalgia, and widespread appeal. Based on the books that have been shortlisted on the Booker prize for years, and books that have been recognized for other prizes these seem to be the most important factors for books to include. For one, readability is the most important. This not only can help more voracious readers in consuming the book, but it can also help those who are just starting to get into reading have an easier time consuming content. Nostalgia also seems to be a very important factor for books to include in order to obtain prizeworthiness. Piper and Portelance (2016) examined how nostalgia played a large part in the popularity of prizeworthy and bestselling books and found that it is utilized quite often throughout novels in an effort to evoke retrospection in the reader. Lastly, widespread appeal is a very important factor when considering prizeworthiness as books that only pertain to certain niches most likely will not have the same impact on readers/judges as books that contain familiar aspects. In addition, I will be examining the teachability, complexity, and uniqueness of each novel on the shortlist to explain my reasoning behind my personal prizewinner, a novel I feel could have one, and one that lacked in comparison.
Shuggie Bain
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart is a novel that explores the relationship between Agnes and Shuggie and their struggle with conformity. Shuggie, a young boy who struggles with his gender expression, is constantly bullied for his otherness and is totally devoted to his mother. Agnes struggles with alcoholism, and she clings to Shuggie. Throughout the novel, we are privy to the co-dependency of Agnes and Shuggie’s relationship and the destructive effects Agnes’ drinking has had on her kids.
With the forgiving narrative that Stuart crafts between Shuggie and Agnes, I have no choice but to agree with the judges in saying that this is the best book on the 2020 Booker shortlist. Besides personal feelings, though, I can confidently say that Shuggie Bain includes all of the aforementioned factors that I believe make up a prizeworthy novel. For starters, Shuggie Bain was one of the easiest novels to read through on this list. Though it is not short (430 pages for reference), the nature of the story and the passion it is written with makes the pages go by faster than you would expect. Secondly, Shuggie Bain is coated in nostalgia. In fact, this book is the reason I included this factor as I felt it was one of the most influential parts of the book. Stuart transports us back to the 80s with references to TV, music, and food littered through the chapters. Furthermore, he pinpoints a specific time in history (Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister) to truly envelope the reader in the rainy and struggling Scotland setting. Overall, though, I feel by Stuart examining a familial structure readers are already primed to look back on what their family was like essentially forcing the reader to be retrospective. Lastly, I do believe there is a widespread appeal to the book. Though it is hard to define as I cannot think of a genre to put it in, I believe that books that highlight how tough life is have always been and will continue to be popular.
Shuggie Bain goes on to further prove itself as a prizeworthy novel by also being teachable, including complexity, and having a unique subject matter. Though the most prominent theme of the book is the maternal love between Agnes and Shuggie, Stuart’s novel is a slice of life for those who were struggling during Thatcher’s miserly policies. Not only could the book be used as a more interesting way to explore the effects of economic policies on civilians, but also the larger conversation of how those who do not conform are treated differently is a perfect theme to explore in most levels of academia. Lastly, Shuggie Bain presents a common topic in a unique way. There are many books that explore what it was like being a child of a parent with an addiction and what it was like being different from other kids, but Shuggie Bain hits right in that intersection and that is what makes it unique.
Burnt Sugar
Avni Doshi’s debut novel Burnt Sugar tells the story of a toxic mother-daughter duo. Our main character (somewhat) is Antara, the daughter of Tara, and she holds a lot of resentment towards her mother for her turbulent upbringing. Things only worsen when Tara begins to display symptoms of dementia causing Antara to feel yet another thing has been taken from her: the right to revenge on her mother.
I regard Burnt Sugar very highly as I not only believe that it has one of the more interesting narratives, but I think it comes the closest to fulfilling all of the criteria listed in order to be a prizeworthy novel. The book is short and told almost like a stream of consciousness, allowing for a quick read. The nostalgia permeates the narrative as the entire thing is rooted in looking at how Tara’s past has majorly affected Antara’s present and now possibly her future. I do feel, though, that it lacks in widespread appeal. Some people found Antara’s thirst for vengeance to be too much, and others did not enjoy how disorganized the book was due to it constantly going back and forth in time.
With these critiques, though, I do feel Burnt Sugar is teachable, but not in the way Shuggie Bain is. I feel this novel would have to be reserved for a class that is highlighting one of the niches the book touches on or includes such as motherhood, female writers, etc. It also has the complexity that I feel it is important for prizeworthy novels to incorporate. The narrative rarely reveals its own hand, and at times it makes you feel as left out and overwhelmed as Antara does which I think is a strong point. Lastly, there is definitely a unique quality to this novel. The audience is put into the mind of a person who wishes to get rid of their mother and chooses to do so.
The New Wilderness
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook uses a mother- daughter dynamic in an unfamiliar setting to explore the conflicts and repercussions of climate change, immigration, and incompetent governments by chronicling the journey of Bea, her daughter Agnes, and their Community members as they navigate the woods after fleeing the City and its increasing pollution.
The inclusion of this novel on the shortlist truly did make me question the judges and their criteria for prizewinners. The New Wilderness was one of the hardest books to get through as it lacked complexity, uniqueness, and an interesting writing style that could have helped me through the narrative. This book is one of the few, if not the only one, to have a clear genre and I believe that is what really hurt it in the end. By being so shoehorned in the dystopian genre, Cook fell into the many tropes and cliches that were ever-present in the once popular end-of-the-world novels. However, after the 2014 boom of YA dystopian, this book feels repetitive and incomparable to some of the marvels that were included on the shortlist.
For all of its faults though, The New Wilderness does have an aspect of readability that I believe is good for those who are just getting into reading. One of the main critiques that this book received in class was that it was too cliché and includes too many tropes from the dystopian genre, and while I do not disagree, I feel that it is a perfect novel for someone who wants to get into reading or the dystopian genre specifically. It also includes topical social issues that make it teachable in a multitude of academic settings. In fact, I feel the saving grace of this book is the fact that Cook includes some of the most topical social issues in her novel for people to point out and talk about, it’s just unfortunate she does not leave the audience any room to do the interpretation for themselves.
To conclude, readability, nostalgia, and widespread appeal all seem to be important factors in determining prizeworthiness. However, even with this analysis and my personal opinion it is important to realize that the action of awarding a prize is rooted in elitism and only, “… serves to distinguish” (James English, ). According to English, prizes are being given out without considering the criteria and the Booker prize only further propels the notion that it is a prize that promotes sales, not excellence.
