There's a slight sense of "What? Already?" about this year's Booker prize. Despite a shortlist featuring Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro and Zadie Smith, it's been a very quiet run-up, news-wise - you might, as Robert McCrum did in yesterday's Observer, describe it as an orgasm without much foreplay - and as a result, tonight's ceremony has rather crept up us. So let's get into the spirit of the thing now with a rousing discussion on who you think will win, who you think really deserves to win, and why.
Those of you who follow this blog will be aware of our abysmal record in picking winners, but if I were to place a bet, my money would probably go on Kazuo Ishiguro for Never Let Me Go - while Barnes is the bookies' favourite (and there's a certain feeling that he should win in a sort of 'lifetime achievement' capacity), and Arthur & George is a fine novel, it may not be innovative enough to take the big prize. I'd love to see Ali Smith's The Accidental win, but I can't quite see the judges going for it. What do you reckon?
