Giller prize 2014

Just waiting to hear the long list- but the winner will get $100,000 and the finalists $10,000 each- just announced!

Here is the long list

Arjun Basu for his novel Waiting for the Man published by ECW Press
David Bezmogis for his novel The Betrayers published by HarperCollins Canada
Rivka Galchen for her short story collection American Innovations published by HarperCollins Canada
Frances Itani for her book Tell published by HarperCollins Canada
Jennifer LoveGrove for her novel Watch How We Walk published by ECW Press
Sean Michaels for his novel, Us Conductors published by Random House Canada
Shani Mootoo for her novel Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab published by Doubleday Canada
Heather O’Neill for her novel The Girl Who Was Saturday Night published by HarperCollins Canada
Kathy Page for her short story collection Paradise and Elsewhere published by John Metcalf Books/Biblioasis
Claire Holden Rothman for her book My October published by Penguin Canada
Miriam Toews for her novel All My Puny Sorrows published by Knopf Canada
Padma Viswanathan for her book The Ever After of Ashwin Rao published by Random House Canada

Beat me by about 2 minutes.. Ok Ill remove my other list

Ok done the CK now and removed my wrongies

something is wrong with this thread- it is on the "Talk" section but seems to have disappeared from the group for some reason

#5 - Cyrel - it's normal on my computer.

I haven't read any of these, but I'm really looking forward to the Heather O'Neill (The Girl Who Was Saturday Night), and also looking forward to the Miriam Toews (after I've read the other books of hers in my TBR stack). Thanks for posting.

I read the Miriam Toews book and thought that it was really good. I have the David Bezmozgis book on my book pile and will move it up on my reading list.
Yes I found the group after a good LT reader pointed out that I can try " last message" I am really tech challenged!

My attention was just brought to the increase in the prize amounts. Nice!

Sweet! I have read The Girl Who Was Saturday Night and really liked it. I just got Mootoo's book from the library and the rest are already on hold so let the judging begin!

I'm about 75% through Watch How We Walk by Jennifer Lovegrove and I'm loving it! Very sad, and difficult to read, but for me, really a page turner. It's the story of a dysfunctional family that are Jehovah's Witnesses. Heart breaking and gritty, but really an interesting look into the Jehovah's Witnesses. I was reading Jennifer Lovegrove's bio and she mentions that she was a JW until she left the religion when she was 14, but that book is not based on her own life experience. I suspect it gives her a good deal of insight into the topic. Joyce , I'm quite sure you would like it. I recommend to most anyone .

Joyce , I'm quite sure you would like it.

Thanks for pointing it out--I didn't know anything about this one. It does sound right up my line--I love books (both fiction and memoir) about noodley or oppressive religious cultures. Endlessly fascinating.

I have read 5 so far and am curious to see which, if any, make the short list today. Ever After of Ashwin Rao was really disappointing. Us Conductors and Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab are wonderful and I would love to see them move on. Tell was good but not my favourite Itani novel. The Girl Who Was Saturday Night was good as well but quite similar to her first one so that might hold it back. My October and Watch How We Walk are next up.

Shortlist:

The Betrayers by Bezmogis
Tell by Itani
Us Conductors by Michaels
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by O'Neill
All My Puny Sorrows by Toews
The Ever After of Ashwin Rao by Viswanathan

Nice list! I read The Betrayers a novel and All My Puny Sorrows
I have Us Conductors in my Book pile and want to get The Girl Who was Saturday Night

13 - Thanks for posting the shortlist, Danielle. I'm not sure which of the short list I will read as yet. Danielle, often you and I have somewhat similar tastes, I might follow your lead. I am not keen to read The Girl Who Was Saturday Night because I suspected it would be somewhat her first book and it would seem that I was correct, according to you.

I absolutely loved O'Neill's first book so it didn't bother me that the second was similar. I don't think the judges would choose it because it was so similar but I am continually wrong in choosing a winner so really, who knows what will happen :)

Us Conductors is my choice so far - it's a fictionalised history of the inventor of the Theremin. Who knew he was a Russian spy/scientist/music lover?

Tell (no touchstone) is good but I am not sure it's Giller winner good if you know what I mean. It's about a small town dealing with the return (or no return) of soldiers after WWI. It deals with shellshock, death etc.

Ever After of Ashwin Rao is my least favourite - I found it needlessly confusing with all its characters and the author's apparent anger about the Air India bombing came through loud and clear and ruined it for me.

I have All My Puny Sorrows so will give it a go but I don't have a good track record with Toews so we will see. The Betrayers is still on hold at the library.

Keep posting because I am dying to know what everyone else thinks!

Yippee! My choice won! Us Conductors by Michaels.

Nice acceptance speech by the author-
The book was also the choice of the "Shadow Giller" on the website kevinfromcanada

Sounds like one to track down then!

I will admit, his speech made me tear up a little. And then seeing his wife's face when he won? Yes, I am sap....