Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo

I finally got round to reading the 2019 (joint!) Booker Prize winner! The novel focuses in on twelve vibrant characters who are mostly black women, although not exclusively, and the trials and tribulations of living in contemporary Britain, faced with prejudice, scrutiny and everyday racism in a culture which is predominantly white.

I enjoyed the book and found it intensely funny, entertaining and, of course, highly frustrating at times. Evaristo’s writing was accessible and absorbing and I can see why Girl, Woman, Other received the acclaim that it did. It is written like a collection of short stories about the different characters, who are all from different social and economic backgrounds, and the narratives intertwine in the final chapter which rounds the novel off nicely. Evaristo’s characters and landscapes were vibrant, colourful and quirky, and I laughed out loud a lot at this book.

I’ve now read a few of the 2019 shortlisters, and I have to be honest and say that I preferred Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities, which left more of a lasting impression on me personally. Although I thought this book was great, not to mention important, I didn’t find the story overly memorable - perhaps because of the fairly large cast of protagonists which made it more difficult to become invested in a primary narrator. It’s always difficult when reading a book which has been hugely praised, but this one definitely didn’t disappoint!