This book made history when, in 2019, the Booker judges could not come to a decision and awarded the Prize jointly to this and Margaret Attwood's "The Testaments", a controversial split-decision but which meant that Bernardine Evaristo became the first black female writer to win perhaps the ultimate literary award.
I have read this author's "Mr Loverman" (2013) which I described as "a very strong four star read." She's gone one better - I have no doubt this deserves five stars. It's an unusual book, it could be considered more of a series of character sketches than a novel, it doesn't really build in the way we might expect and there's a reluctance to use full stops which I can't help feeling slightly irritated by (but that was also the case in sections of Paul Murray's "The Bee Sting"- my current Book Of The Year, so it can't have that much of an impact). This is, anyway, a freer looser work so although I can't say I understand why full stops are largely sidelined it doesn't really impede the reading of it. I've seen it described as a "verse poem", a term which I felt a little off-putting when I included it in my What I Should Have Read in 2019 post. I realise now that I really shouldn't have let that delay my reading of it.
This is a celebration of women, on the whole British Black women whose stories are shared in third-person narratives. Some know each other and are linked and within their tales is a wealth of rich Black British experience which I found compelling. Within this structure there is a danger of style over substance accusations but certainly not from me here as the writing is loaded with content which is vibrant, challenging, fascinating, moving, funny and really drives the reader on. As each section came to the end and the focus switched to a different character I found myself reluctant to leave their company and always wanting more.
I felt that just as we neared the ending where a number of the characters are together for the after-party for the first woman we meet, Amma, and her play at the National Theatre that I was flagging just a little but this importantly pulls strands together and is a vital aspect of the work.
There is so much for consideration here that it would really reward rereading and that's good enough justification for five stars if I'm keen for it to have a permanent place on my bookshelves.
I've had a count-up and this is the 20th Booker winner I've read. This would certainly make it either in or just outside my Ultimate Booker Top 5.
Girl, Woman, Other was published by Penguin in 2019.
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