RTÉ's Arts and Media Correspondent Sinéad Crowley takes a look at the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award shortlist for 2015. The winning book will be announced on 17 June.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North By Richard Flanagan
Both a love story and a war epic, this was a very popular winner of the Man Booker prize in 2014. Flanagan gives the reader an unflinching look at life in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the second World War and also explores the aftermath of an unconventional love affair. Evocative and beautifully written.
Harvest By Jim Crace
Set in an unnamed village in feudal England, Harvest tells the story of an isolated community on the cusp of great change. Crace’s feel for the natural landscape is evident from the very first sentence. A prize winning and highly respected author, he has said this will be his final book.
K By Bernardo Kucinski
The story of a father searching for his daughter who has been ‘disappeared’ during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Told from a number of viewpoints but most memorably from that of the father, ‘K’, this is a short, fascinating and very sad read.
Horses of God By Mahi Binebine
Another of the works in translation on this year’s list, this novel looks at the lives of young boys growing up in a shanty town in Casablanca, Morocco and is narrated by one of the boys after his death. A concise and devastating story that offers the reader an alternative view of a tragic, yet sadly familiar scenario.
Someone By Alice McDermott
Fans of ‘Brooklyn’ or the recent ‘Academy Street’ will enjoy this story of a woman growing up in an Irish American family in Brooklyn. Marie is just ‘someone’ – an unremarkable woman living an ordinary life, but of course the fact of the matter and the central point of this book is that nobody’s life can be described as merely ‘ordinary’.
Transatlantic By Colum McCann
Senator George Mitchell, Frederick Douglass and the airmen Alcock and Brown are just some of the characters in this book of interconnected Irish American stories. A very popular author here and in the US, McCann previously won the International IMPAC award for ‘Let the Great World Spin’.
Brief Loves that Live Forever By Andrei Makine
A slender but very powerful book set in Soviet Russia, this novel explores the desire for freedom and the redemptive power of love. Vivid and emotional, with a richness of language that will stay with the reader long after the final page.
Burial Rites By Hannah Kent
Inspired by a true story, this debut novel tells the story of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829 and the family who is forced to take her in. A gripping and tense read, fans of historical fiction and indeed Nordic Noir will love it.
Sparta By Roxana Robinson
A young American man returns from fighting in Iraq but finds it difficult to fit back into his middle-class American life. Interesting, with a believable central character although some of the actions of his family irritated this reader.
Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My favourite book of 2013. A young Nigerian woman travels to the USA to study and ends up writing a blog on her experiences. Her insights into issues of race and reaction to her new environment are fascinating, funny and very wise. A terrific read, this is set to be a movie so read the book first!
