Ian McEwan - a worthy inclusion? Photograph: Guardian/Murdo Macleod
Et voila - for those of you who've been sitting on the edges of your seats biting your nails all day, this year's Booker shortlist, in all its glory:
Darkmans by Nicola Barker The Gathering by Anne Enright The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan Animal's People by Indra Sinha
You can read the full story here. The general consensus on this blog (with which I agreed) when the longlist was announced was that the briefer, more restrained list was on the whole A Good Thing - marking a return, perhaps, to the Booker's founding principles (namely of bringing good books to wider audiences). Has the shortlist lived up to the promise of the longlist? And what about the inclusion of McEwan? To my mind, On Chesil Beach is a very slender book for a Booker shortlistee (though perhaps that's sizeist of me). And I have to confess I'm a little disappointed not to see any of the first-time novelists - particularly Catherine O'Flynn, whose book I enjoyed very much - making it through to the second round either. What do you think?
Sam Jordison will be on later with his verdict, and the next instalment of his we-shall-not-be-moved longlist blog; meanwhile, over to you.
