The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Truth & Dare by So Mayer (Cipher)

This is the book I'd most like to see win. I'll actually quote Gumble Yard's review rather than my own (which is a bit meme heavy) as it expresses it perfectly in the context of a previous winner and one of only two writes to be twice shortlisted for the prize:

With [Eley] Williams it shares the same sense of careful and intelligent wordplay, a love of etymology, the interrogation of language, the ability to craft a short story and even a careful and deliberate use of unusual punctuation (like the “.” in Attrib.).

With [Isabel] Waidner it shares the same aim to upend conventional narrative hierarchies and conventions, and the same motive for that upending: that those conventions support and are supported by the traditional, patriarchal, capitalist, gender-rigid society in which they were formed. It also, like Waidner, draws on pop cultural references and use of science fiction tropes (if probably slightly less of the former and more of the latter).

And for me so much resonated Changing => includes an almost perfect passage on the best post-swim restorative snack, erring only in not preferring the beef flavour:

Right out of the pool, there is the craving for food that cancels out the chlorine – throughout your childhood, pickled onion Monster Munch was the ritual offering. Now, wise to the monosodium glutamate and disodium 5’-ribonucleotide, to the nose-curl of whey permeate, you settle for a snack bar, pretending it really tastes like chocolate and not pre-masticated dates. Pretending it is food and not fancy Soylent Green.

Thanks Paul, keen to read this one, I've only read their non-fiction so will be interesting to compare.

If there was any downside to this collection it’s bought home by Paul’s review.

The UCL, Arsenal Women, Minster Munch after swimming, the central limit theorem resonated for me as much as they did for Paul - but I suspect others would have no real clue /interest in them.

And some other stories similarly rather passed me by as I could not pick up on the copious references.