Can a book marketed as genre fiction, be considered “serious” or “literary.”

I think it can. I don’t think we can consider Child 44 as either serious or literary though. (Which brings us round to that old chicken and egg scenario of what is literary anyway?)

Increasingly, I find such terms (and pigeonholes) redundant for fiction.

Oh, I agree with you there Nige. I could quite happily see all the fiction genres of a book store assimilated into one giant A to Z.

why should the fact this was selected for Booker List warrant such keen examination

Because the Booker is a literary prize - not some crime dagger award - and those in conention for it should be among the best, in the judges’ collective opinion, that the Commonwealth has to offer for that particular year. Child 44, with all its flaws, idiosyncrasies, and whatnot is simply not good enough - by my standards, anyway, since that’s all I’ve got to measure it against - to be considered the best of the year. (Okay, so I need to read more from the year in question.)

I’ve sense tried two of the more literary works on the long list and I’d have to rank them in the fair range also. Maybe it was just a bad year.

To criticise a piece of literary fiction for its lack of tight plotting or its failure to engage with the impact of technology on society will generally be rather to miss the point. Similarly, criticising a thriller for sketchy characterisation or lack of internal character growth I think would miss the point a bit. But there’s plenty you still can fairly criticise on.

Does it persuade? Is the pacing tight? Is the prose punchy and exciting? Is the dialogue credible? Do you care about the protagonist (irrelevant to most fiction, I would argue deeply relevant to the thriller genre as a rule)? Is the use of language intrusive? Are the twists unexpected yet satisfying? Does it break suspension of disbelief too severely? That’s just off the top of my head. If I were a fan of the genre, I’m sure I’d come up with more.

It is possible to critique a thriller on its own terms and ask “if this is intended as light entertainment, is it good light entertainment?” And since there’s plenty of good light entertainment around, if one is looking for an airplane novel there are good and bad examples of that just as there are of everything else.

Of course, we don’t now have the benefit that CB had of reading this without the weight of expectations it now carries, the main effect of which is to bring it to the attention of people who would otherwise not have dreamt of reading it.

It does seem something has gone a bit astray with the judging process this year, which is a shame and which makes me glad I wait until books are in paperback before reading them and so am not yet reading any of this year’s entries (and at this rate, query if I ever will read any of them).

I can, however, see the differences in our approaches, with you reading it before it got elavated to a level that pretty much puts greater expectations behind it. I wouldn’t have read it prior to the longlist, and can only look on with an exclamation mark over my head as to what the judging panel were thinking.

The fact that is has a Booker nomination does not speak well for the future of the award. Are we to continue taking the Booker seriously? I eagerly await the short list, which is probably the point.

Also, the dialogue is in italics? Good God!

Yes, Smith has apparently said it was to demonstrate that his characters weren’t speaking English. How thick is his audience? Do they really think that this cast of Russians will be going around talking in a decadent western lingo? At least they think in English, since internalising isn’t italicised. Here’s the actual qwote from the interview:

I was concerned about putting it is speech marks because, obviously, it’s not Russian. … I hope that doesn’t come across as just empty experimentalism: I thought it might make the dialogue read easier.

No, it doesn’t read easier, because it draws attention to it. Yes, it is empty experimentalism.

I’m really enjoying ‘Sea of Poppies’. Have you read that?

Not yet, Ann. I’m halfway through The Clothes On Their Backs and have read Netherland. Sea Of Poppies is next on the list.