and a cast of several

The Man Booker longlist is up and I'm very pleased to see Michael Redhill's novel Consolation make the cut. I'm partial to it not because it's the only Canadian book, but it simply deserves to be there.

I'm not generally one for historical fiction, but Redhill wrote one of the strongest works in Canada last year. His telling of Toronto in timelines 140 years apart is artful, engaging and had a "bigness" to it not found in a lot of Canadian novels. Good on him, it's a hell of a book.

Naturally it was nowhere to be found on the Giller or GG lists.

Now if I was a betting man, this one goes to Peter Ho Davies.

Welsh Girl got a ton of great reviews and hits the Booker as an upset that will likely please most of the punters. I never did get to it, but it goes on the pile when the paperback arrives in November. (Sooner if it wins, perhaps.)