There is only one news story this week: Belfast author Anna Burns winning the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday for her third novel, Milkman. It’s an immersive read that is best appreciated as an all-day deep dive rather than a daily quick dip. It had sold only just over 6,000 copies prior to its win, but the signs were there if you knew where to look, unlike the bookies who had it as a rank outsider. Nielsen BookScan statistics showed it was the most popular shortlisted title and had benefited most since being shortlisted. Linda Anderson’s intensely political Cuckoo is as topical today as it was when first published in 1986, says James Doyle.

Source: The Irish Times October 19, 2018 10:30 UTC