Hilary Mantel is the headline name on the 2012 Booker shortlist as she looks to repeat the stunning success of her first Thomas Cromwell book, Wolf Hall. Alison Moore and Jeet Thayil make the list with their first novels. The longlist was offered here with some excerpts a month ago, but since you might not have gotten around to them then, we’ll offer the same with the shortlist below.
- The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (review)
- Swimming Home by Deborah Levy (excerpt, review)
- Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (excerpt 1, excerpt 2, review)
- The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (excerpt [pdf])
- Umbrella by Will Self (YouTube video of author reading)
- Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (Millions review, excerpt)