The Booker Prize announced its 2020 shortlist. The list includes US authors Brandon Taylor, Diane Cook, and Avni Doshi, and excludes two-time Booker winner Hilary Mantel. Four of the nominees are debuts, four of the authors are people of color, and most of the books are from independent publishers. The full list:
Diane Cook, The New Wilderness (Harper/Oneworld)
Tsitsi Dangarembga, This Mournable Body (Graywolf/Faber & Faber)
Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar (Overlook/Hamish Hamilton)
Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King (Norton/Canongate)
Brandon Taylor, Real Life (Riverhead/Daunt Publishing)
Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain (Grove/Picador)