By 
Guy Somerset| Published on July 17, 2012 | Online Only
You have to wait until August 1 (what’s more, the night of August 1) to discover the fiction winner of this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards, but you have to wait just 30 minutes until the end of the podcast below to discover the verdict of me and panellists Graham Beattie (you know, Graham Beattie), Jane Westaway, writer and co-editor of New Zealand Books, and Tilly Lloyd, of Unity Books in Wellington.
No illustration for this post: I wouldn’t want to tip you off by focusing on any one of the three finalists: The Trouble with Fire, by Fiona Kidman; Rangatira, by Paula Morris; and From Under the Overcoat, by Sue Orr.
Before we podcasters make our call, we turn the books inside and – yes – out. And I ensure I’m going to be on a table of one at the awards ceremony.
If you want to comment on this podcast – and please do comment – you can go to either our Spoiler or No-Spoiler Zone.
No illustration for this post: I wouldn’t want to tip you off by focusing on any one of the three finalists: The Trouble with Fire, by Fiona Kidman; Rangatira, by Paula Morris; and From Under the Overcoat, by Sue Orr.
Before we podcasters make our call, we turn the books inside and – yes – out. And I ensure I’m going to be on a table of one at the awards ceremony.
If you want to comment on this podcast – and please do comment – you can go to either our Spoiler or No-Spoiler Zone.
7 comments:
Um, I can't remember: did Emily Perkin's The Forrests not make it to finalist (or is it a timing issue)?
No The Forrests was published in 2012; this year's awards are for titles published in 2011.
That's correct, The Forrests was published this year. However, it looks a dead cert for the Booker - a bit more money in that!
There is no such thing as a dead cert for the Man Booker Prize. And of course it first has to be long-listed and then short-listed.
Thanks for info, Graham. Interesting clip. I'm not big on historical fiction, though will probably read the winner ... that is, the one the two of you (one fence sitter because he's going to the award) think will win. I've read other of her/his fiction that I've enjoyed.
I really enjoyed listening to this but I also cringed - as a writer, I'd hate to hear someone unpacking and pulling apart my work like you guys did - it was like listening to expert wine tasters discussing the best wines. I'm glad Guy read that extract at the start because that really put the discussion in context. Still, as one right now struggling through edits of a large manuscript, it's scary to think someone could point holes in my carefully constructed illusion.
Thanks for an illuminating discussion, it was really enjoyable to hear expert points of view on these three nominees. I still lament The Conductor not making the short list though - for me was an exceptional novel.
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