My 2020 Giller Longlist Predictions

The Scotiabank Giller prize is awarded for the best Canadian book. I couldn't find anything on their website that elaborates on the parameters for a "best book." Obviously, since it's a literary prize, literary quality is paramount. But what, exactly, is a literary piece of literature? There doesn't appear to be a definitive answer, so I will rely on my own sense of the beast, which is that it's writing that deeply engages with the human condition, and that the author's style is an important aspect of my reading pleasure. Another thing: I expect my pleasure to increase every time I reread the best books.

Here's my list of the best Canadian books for the October 2019 - September 2020 period, in alphabetical order, with links to my reviews:

Noopiming by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

Dominoes at the Crossroads by Kaie Kellough

Indians on Vacation by Thomas King

Coming Up for Air by Sarah Leipciger

The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel

Polar Vortex by Shani Mootoo (and here in my May reading round-up)

The Baudelaire Fractal by Lisa Robertson

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya (and here in my May reading round-up)

Vanishing Monuments by John Elizabeth Stintz

Misconduct of the Heart by Cordelia Strube

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa (and, once again, in my May reading round-up. It was a good month for CanLit.)

I would be happy to see any of these declared the winner of the Giller. But which twelve books will actually be on the longlist? The official announcement will be made tomorrow morning (September 8) and you can join me in watching it streamed live online.

This post is part of a series. I'm on the Shadow Giller jury this year, so I'm reading as many qualifying Canadian titles as possible in order to come up with my own longlist prediction before the official one that will be announced on September 8, 2020. To see my other reviews that are a part of this project, click on the Shadow Giller tag. Also, please visit our Shadowing the Best of CanLit website to see what the rest of the Shadow Giller jury are up to. Thanks for visiting my blog.