Katja Bier

Simply dreadful. I'm not sure what is required for a book to be short-listed for the Booker Prize, but if this is an example of what the decision makers consider exceptional, I must live in a different universe to them. This is a self-indulgent, overblown, bizarre piece of writing. Such a promising opening line for a subject that should have been a fascinating exploration of a woman's relationship with an abusive mother. I had an abusive mother, yet could not find a shred of this story that felt authentic, beyond that opening line.