The 2020 Booker Prize included some of the best novels of the past year that explored various times, places and types of people, perfect for people locked in a pandemic. Although it comes with criticism this year’s list consisted of Shiggie Bain, This Mournable Body, The Shadow King, Burnt Sugar, and The New Wilderness. As Menon puts it, “Since a rule change in 2014, the British literary establishment has been up in arms about the inclusion of Americans….—but this year, the doomsday predictions have been fully realized. Only a single author—the Zimbabwean Tsitsi Dangarembga—doesn’t hold an American passport.” Douglas Stuart won the award this year and rightfully so, even if he does have American citizenship. Stuart writes a masterful novel deeply ingrained with the pains of alcoholism, the effects of an economic downfall, and the relationships affected. I firmly believe that the judges made the correct choice in electing Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart the winner of the 2020 Booker Prize. An ideal Booker Prize winner should contain exceptional writing, be entertaining and enjoyable, but also have the ability to connect to varying different readers.

The overall readability of a novel is a necessary criteria that authors should attempt to meet, excelling with their literary talent while keeping a continuous flow on the page. Shuggie Bain stood atop the list at meeting this criteria with only Burnt Sugar reaching a distant second, despite some criticism this is where I believe that The Shadow King loses most of it’s prize worthiness. As Menon states, “In many ways, it (The Shadow King) more closely resembles classical epic poetry than twentieth-century war literature.” I have the utmost respect for what Mengiste wrote, it is a beautiful writing style that many people enjoy, but I believe I speak for most when I say that Ancient Greek Epic Poems are ancient for a reason, especially through a lengthy 424 pages Passages such as, “She is clothed but she is naked. She is a spectacle but she is invisible. She is a girl who has been split, and what stands here is both flesh and shadow, bone and silhouette, no more than air filled with smoke. And the cook. The cook. The cook.” are common throughout the novel, overly repetitive, too poetic and disrupts the continuity of the novel. I got lost from these types of passages that required me to read them twice or three times over to even really understand what Mengiste was trying to convey to the reader, truly this was a downfall for The Shadow King as I believe it could have gained more praise and possibly the prize if it were not for this lack of readability. Although Burnt Sugar is not an exceptional example of cohesion, I still stand by that it has an overall better readability. Passages such as “I cover my mouth with my hand to muffle a low scream and the voice is someone else’s. I touch my face. The sudden urge to look at my reflection, to make sure it’s still there, is overwhelming.” The pain and confusion that Antara feels is easily understandable because of the simple yet artistic way it is written. Doshi articulates her sentences into many beautiful  passages but has a lack of cohesion between “chapters” which was not difficult to follow but almost annoying as I was confused at some points in where the story was. An even better example of masterful readability could come from any passage within Shuggie Bain, “The city was changing; he could see it in people’s faces. Glasgow was losing its purpose, and he could see it all clearly from behind the glass. He could feel it in his taking. He had heard them say that Thatcher didn’t want honest workers anymore; her future was technology and nuclear power and private health. Industrial days were over, and the bones of the Clyde Shipworks and the Springburn Railworks lay about the city like rotted dinosaurs. Whole housing estates of young men who were promised the working trades of their fathers had no future now. Men were losing their very masculinity.” I mean this passage is so beautifully written all the while keeping it at a relatively easy flow with complexity between the the sentences that Stuart weaves, and this occurs throughout the entirety of the novel and was a main reason I never put it down. 

On a more personal subject matter I really enjoyed two out of the six novels that were on the Booker 2020 shortlist. Of the six, Shuggie Bain, and Burnt Sugar were the most enjoyable novels to read. Shuggie Bain had some of the highest odds of winning the award before the ceremony so it is no surprise that I enjoyed it as much. When it comes to why I choose to have Menon explain the reasoning for Shuggie Bain, “In Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart effortlessly combines so many of the elements common to great literature—characters that demand our compassion, their complex relationships, discerning description, indelible scenes, clarity about injustice, incisive but not didactic or overly abstract political observations, and, crucially, beautiful writing. By every measure, Shuggie Bain is an extraordinary novel.” I cannot put into words a better reason as to why I was so engaged and the reason that Shuggie Bain won the Booker Prize. As for when Menon argues about Burnt Sugar I agree with what she says but disagree with why she says it, “Although Doshi manages to subtly weave scathing commentary into her novel… The energy of the novel is reserved for Antara’s blistering anger. The unbroken focus on the domestic drama between mother and daughter, told in Antara’s distinctive voice, offers immediate satisfaction …” I enjoyed reading this novel only second to Shuggie Bain due to the way that this faulty mother-daughter relationship was arranged and filled with hate and pain, it made a much more compelling read and was purposeful in showing the pains of feeling unwanted, alone, and the troubles with being a caretaker. This “blistering anger” in Antara’s voice is what really sets in the thematic issues that occur within the novel, and makes a much more enjoyable read. These novels excelled at keeping me engaged and will be books that I come back to in the future due to their entertainment and the enjoyment I had throughout. 

The ability for a novel to create a connection amongst readers is a big part in why many “great novels” are great. People tend to be selfish at times and being able to read people like them in some way increases engagement and can make or break novels. As Evaristo puts it, novels need to be generated by and speak to a variety of demographics….with billions of us roaming this planet..” When writing a novel it should do well when multiple types of people from different backgrounds can all find a way to connect to the book. Again Shuggie Bain crushes this category, with characters from alcoholic families, divorced/single parents, and LGBTQ+ members, are the main ones that come to mind. If you were to go into a room of 100 random people I believe that over 80% would be able to connect to one of those ideas if not more. A novel like The Shadow King, connecting with the second Italo-Ethiopian War, the oppression of women and war are the main ideas from the novel, and personally I cannot connect with any past surface level, many groups of people may be able to connect to probably oppression of women and effects of war, but beyond that I don’t see much, especially when other novels do it better. This along with the style of writing that Mengiste chose is what put The Shadow King farther back in my list than other people. It came with some criticisms from Libby and Molly in particular as they believed that the difficulty of the novel should not be a breaking point but rather a selling point for the novel. I wouldn’t call myself an average reader, nor an expert, but I would like to say I’m above average if not a little more, and yet I still faced difficulty and boredom when reading throughout The Shadow King, this could be due to my lack of knowledge in Greek epics but then again how many people know more than the basics. Although the Booker is a prestigious award that should challenge readers, I do not view it as degrading to say that The Shadow King should not win the Booker Prize because of its difficulties, lack of readability and the ability to connect to the novel. It is only fitting to award Shuggie Bain with the title of Booker Prize winner of 2020, due to its excellence in all the criteria stated above, exceptional writing, be entertaining and enjoyable, but also have the ability to connect to varying different readers.