Women's Prize 2022

Do you keep up with any book prize lists? I usually only pay attention to the Women's Prize list, and this year my goal was to read the entire shortlist (6 books). By the time the shortlist was announced, I had already read The Great Circle and Sorrow and Bliss, so I had about two months to read the other four on the list!

I liked all of these books in varying degrees and all in different ways. It was such a great diverse list, and I loved reading them all! Below are my reviews from least favourite (The Sentence) to absolute favourite (Sorrow and Bliss).

THE SENTENCE: This one fizzled out for me around the 60% mark; there was a lot of momentum in the beginning and then it got to a point where it was really hard for me to want to pick up. Despite the pacing, I liked how this book was separated in distinct ‘acts’. I (of course) loved the bookstore setting, the paranormal element and all of the timely references and how Tookie responded to them. I read this book in the winter and it was a very cozy literary fiction book.

THE BREAD THE DEVIL KNEAD: Here’s what I liked about this book: Alethea was a complex, vivid character that jumped off the page. The descriptions of the Port of Spain were great and vivid and I really liked that it was written in Trinidadian dialect (first time I’ve ever read a book like this).

It was an incredibly dark read. I feel like I read a lot of upsetting books (lol) but some of the scenes in this one made me sick to my stomach - especially a flashback scene towards the end of the book which didn’t feel necessary. I definitely can’t say I “enjoyed” reading this one, but I loved Alethea as a character and the ending left me hopeful for her (needed a hopeful ending after a crazy dark read)!

THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS: This is a quirky, unique and distinctive novel about loss, growing up, and our relationship with things. There are lots of great, unique characters and a pinch of magical realism (which I love)! After the sudden loss of her husband, Annabelle becomes a hoarder. Unbeknownst to her, this habit has detrimental impacts on her 14-year-old son Benny who has begun to hear voices from inanimate objects after his dad died.

The book is narrated by Benny’s very own Book - a talking thing who teaches him to listen to the things that really matter. The Book’s narration and Benny’s often abrupt or dramatic interludes brought a unique element to the book which made it that much more lovable. This one started off as a 5 star read for me, but there was a bit of repetition in the middle that lost me for a bit. I did really enjoy this one though, I can’t wait to read more of Ozeki’s work (and I think this one may win)!

THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES: To be honest, this is the book that probably intrigued me the least when I read a summary, but I’m so glad I read it because I ended up loving it. It’s a beautiful story of family and a young girl discovering her family’s past, namely her parents’ forbidden love story. The book starts in present day with young Ada, reeling from the loss of her mother trying to make sense of her past. The book also jumps back to 1974 Cyprus to where a young Kostas, who is Greek and Christian, meets Defne, who is Turkish and Muslim at one of the best taverns in Cyprus.

I really liked the romantic and familial love stories, and how memories can really vary between people. If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures, I’d recommend this one to you!

THE GREAT CIRCLE: An absolutely sweeping epic story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.

This book was right up my alley: a literary fiction book with historical elements, and I’ve always been intrigued by Amelia Earhart’s story and so was really excited about this fictionalized story of a female pilot who disappears. I liked how this book had different POVs, from the actress in present day who is pegged to play Marion in a movie, and Marion’s brother Jamie, an artist. Even though Marion’s chapters and story were my favourites, I liked having a variety of characters’ perspectives.

The biggest problem I had with this book was how much I hated Barclay McQueen (a bootlegger Marion works for to save up for flying lessons). Like, hated to the point I think that’s what prevented me from giving this book 5 stars. You know it’s a telltale sign of a good book where even though it’s already 600 pages, I could have read another few hundred.

SORROW AND BLISS: I read Sorrow and Bliss last year and it’s definitely one of my favourite books I’ve ever read. It follows Martha, a woman who knows something is wrong with her. She's depressed, separated from her husband, and is a strong observer of her day-to-day life and trying to seek help and figure out what's wrong with her.

I furiously annotated this book - I think it is one of the most accurate depictions of depression I’ve ever read! I’d compare this book to a more depressing Fleabag. It is very heavy, but also has funny moments and is a rather quick read for literary fiction. It is definitely more character driven vs. plot, but I just loved it so much!! It was so relatable and authentic.