I've not yet read Neel Mukherjee who is on longlist this year. His novel The Lives of Others is about a Naxalite and covers the late sixties of West Bengal. As a Bengali living in Kolkata, who has had a taste of the turbulent period, I find it amazing that Naxalism, which once attracted the youths of Bengal en masse, can be the subject of a novel in these times by a writer who lives in London. More amazing is the fact that the novel dealing with such a subject has captured the attention of Booker judges. Whether it would win is, of course, a different matter.
The 2014 Man Booker Prize longlist
The 2014 Man Booker Prize longlist
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Rich use of language, good sketch of characters, and a nice backdrop combine to form this fiction. No wonder this was nominated for Man Booker Prize. However, the plot lacks pace, and as the title suggests, is a collection of accounts of the lives of different people. Overall, a good read
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