Novelist Will Ferguson has won the $50,000 prize (in Canadian currency) Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel, 419. The jury had this commentary:
Ferguson’s 419 points in the direction of something entirely new: the Global Novel. It is a novel emotionally and physically at home in the poverty of Lagos and in the day-to-day of North America. It tells us the ways in which we are now bound together and reminds us of the things that will always keep us apart. It brings us the news of the world far beyond the sad, hungry faces we see on CNN and CBC and far beyond the spreadsheets of our pension plans. Ferguson is a true travel writer, his eye attuned to the last horrible detail. He is also a master at dialogue and suspense. It is tempting to put 419 in some easy genre category, but that would only serve to deny its accomplishment and its genius.
Below, we’ve linked to free samples of the shortlisted books for your reading pleasure. In all, 51 publishing houses from around Canada submitted 142 titles for consideration. The three-person jury included novelists Gary Shteyngart and Roddy Doyle, along with Canadian publisher Anna Porter.
Free Samples of the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize Shortlist
419 by Will Ferguson
Inside by Alix Ohlin
The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler
Ru by Kim Thuy
Whirl Away by Russell Wangersky
If you want more books, we made similar literary mixtapes linking to free samples of the 2012 Man Booker Longlist, the Best Science Fiction of the Year the Believer Book Award nominees, the 2012 Orwell Prize shortlist, the LA Times Book Prize winners, and the Best Business Books of the Year.