Booker for Hollinghurst

A surprise Booker win for Alan Hollinghurst's novel A Line of Beauty. The book is about the life of Nick Guest, a gay Oxford graduate living a sumptious life in the Thatcher era and how his life slowly unravels. Hollinghurst who many had predicted would not win was quite chuffed at the award: "It's very amazing to me that the long, solitary process of writing a novel should lead to a moment like this". Hollinghurst had been the favourite almost a decade ago, but many felt that this graphical sexual descriptions cost him the earth. Given that sex is the flavour of the season, it's not surprising that this was his year! You can read an extract from the book here. Putu is yet to read Hollinghurst but has promptly ordered the book online and shall read it soon.